


Endlessly

by CasToHerDean



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bartender Castiel (Supernatural), Dean Winchester Does Karaoke, Dean Winchester Heals Castiel, Developing Relationship, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Rough Kissing, Sassy Castiel (Supernatural), Smartass Dean Winchester, Smut, Trickster Gabriel (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:14:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22517578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasToHerDean/pseuds/CasToHerDean
Summary: After having his heart broken by Fergus MacLeod, Castiel Novak has dropped out of the dating scene and focused on himself for a while. While tending bar one karaoke night, a green-eyed stranger crooned his favorite song and his heart decided it was time to come out of hiding.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 24
Kudos: 31





	1. The Cab

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I wrote for Destiel in 2018 and I decided recently to remove it, make some revisions, and repost it chapter by chapter. I'll be updating/adding tags, characters and archive warnings as I post. For now, I'll be posting a new chapter on Saturday nights, with the option of adding a second night each week depending on if y'all like it.
> 
> This is a COMPLETED work.

Castiel Novak stole a glance at the clock behind the bar before handing the server the bucket of longnecks he’d prepped. 12:02am and the crowd in Rougarou Bar & Grill showed no signs of dissipating, certainly not after the announcement that karaoke would be extended an hour that evening. Cas groaned inwardly and prayed the 5-hour Energy he’d sucked down an hour ago would do what it was supposed to. Taking a deep breath, he pasted on a smile and turned to the group of ladies to his left who’d been sending him flirty looks since they sashayed up to the bar an hour earlier. Sloppy, drunk 20-somethings held no appeal but Cas knew how to use the face God blessed him with to pad his tips. Turning the wattage on his smile up to eleven to showcase his dimples and focusing his clear blue eyes on the de-facto leader of this pack, he pulled out wide-topped glasses for their 5th round of Cosmopolitans as he politely asked her what they would be having. He had 2 out of 4 made before her alcohol-addled brain finished stating the order and he made a mental note to cut them off after this round.

After serving up the Cosmos with a smile and a wink for the group, Cas’ mind went on autopilot as he worked his way down the bar filling drink orders for patrons and servers. He’d been working the Friday night karaoke shift for almost 4 years because, along with his on-call bartender Jody Mills, he was the only one who could stomach the often ear-bleeding noise coming from the speakers most of the night. They were currently dispensing drafts and pouring shots to an exceptionally awful rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Hurt” and all Cas could think was that Mister Cash had no idea just how painful it was. 

He turned to Jody with a smirk. “8.2.”

Jody grinned back at him with a reply, “7.6. I’m pretty sure I heard him hit at least 2 of the notes correctly.” This was their own little game, rating the singers based on lack of skill, and it was the secret that kept them sane through week after week of agony. If America’s enemies ever figured out just how bad most karaoke was and turned it into a torture ritual, they were screwed.

From Greased Lightning to I Will Always Love You, followed by the drunk 20-something women butchering the holy hell out of Lady Marmalade, Jody and Cas’ singer ratings climbed ever higher until they heard the DJ announce the final singer of the night. Cas gave Jody a low five behind the bar and breathed a sigh of relief. The bar didn’t close until 2:00am but even now, much of the crowd were taking the final swig of their drinks and settling their tabs. While Jody helped the servers cash out tickets, Cas turned to the rack full of dripping glassware and began to dry it so it could be restocked for the following day. He was on glass number 9 when his ear caught the sound of his favorite song being sung by the final singer, a strong tenor with a voice made of gravel. 

“I’m no angel, I’m just me but I will love you endlessly. Wings aren’t what you need. You need me…”

Castiel didn’t even realize he’d stopped breathing until his lungs screamed in protest. He took a breath as he turned towards the makeshift stage and got an eyeful of the singer. The rough edges of the man’s voice extended to the rest of him as well. He was tall, but then again everyone seemed that way onstage. He had sandy hair and a strong face covered in what looked like a 2-day growth of beard but it wasn’t enough to cover the full lips that continued to croon the familiar lyrics straight to Cas’ soul. He gasped when the man came to the bridge of the song, Cas’ favorite part, and seemed to hit his stride.

“The ink may stain my skin. My jeans may all be ripped. I’m not perfect, but I SWEAR I’m perfect for YOUUUUUUU..”, the man belted out. The crowd that remained yelled their encouragement as he hit the crescendo of the song and gave it everything he had.

Cas stood completely enraptured by the performance, knowing this stranger had ruined any chance of him ever hearing the song the same way again. The original performer couldn’t hold a candle to what this man was doing with it.

“But I hope that you’ll still wear it…”. The final note hung in the air an extra beat before the applause and hoots erupted. Even Jody let out her infamous two-finger whistle, reserved only for the best. 

“Give it up for DEAN!” the DJ yelled into the mic. Meanwhile Cas was frozen in place, watching the man grin and take a partial bow only to be rewarded with the first standing ovation in Rougarou’s history. Dean stepped down from the stage and made short work of crossing to the bar, accepting slaps on the back with grace and a shy half-smile. Jody bumped into Cas while reaching for the margarita salt and that brought him out of his stupor. He made a quick recovery and stood drying the previously forgotten glass as Dean reached the bar.

“Got any strong whiskey back there”, he asked. 

Cas chuckled and said, “Course we do but aren’t you doing it backwards?” Dean cocked his head to the side questioningly. Cas continued, “I mean usually the liquid courage comes BEFORE getting on the stage, not that you appeared to need it.”

Dean grinned and replied, “Yeah well the bar was a little packed before and I didn’t have time to make it through the masses. So how about that whiskey and make that a double if you would.” While Cas turned to grab the Jack Daniels bottle, Dean took a moment to appreciate the rear view. His heart had already done a little pitty-pat at the bartender’s dark tousled hair and killer eyes but nothing’s better than a pair of Wrangler’s showcasing an exceptionally fine ass. _Full outside package_ , Dean thought to himself as the man turned with bottle and glass. They probably didn’t play for the same team but he could appreciate eye candy, no matter the sexuality.

Cas dropped a napkin on the bar in front of him and set the whiskey tumbler on top of it. “This one’s on me. Best performance of the month.” He smiled his first genuine smile of the night and reached behind him to continue drying the glassware.

Dean raised an eyebrow and nodded gratefully, holding out a hand. “Dean Winchester. If you’re gonna buy me a drink it’s only polite to introduce myself”, he shrugged.

“Castiel Novak”, he said as he set the glass down and shook the man’s hand. “So why that song?”

“Why do you ask,” Dean said as he took a generous gulp from his drink.

Cas picked up another glass to dry and replied, “Everyone has a reason for the songs they choose to sing. Could be for fun or because they’re sad or some bring a significant other to sing to. I like hearing the stories, so what’s yours?”

Dean chuckled into his drink, “They didn’t have the one I wanted by the same artist so I went for my second choice. That’s all.”

“Let me guess, Angel With A Shotgun”, Cas smirked at him when Dean looked surprised. “Winchester. Seemed to fit.”

“Yahtzee.” _Full inside package too_ , Dean thought to himself. To Cas he said, “You know The Cab’s tunes, I’m impressed. What’s your favorite?”

Cas blushed and looked down at the glass in his hands. “Endlessly.”

_The one I just sang_ , Dean realized. Interesting. He sipped at the remaining whiskey as Castiel excused himself and stepped away to fill final drink orders, as they’d just announced last call. Unless he’d misjudged the interest in those gorgeous eyes, he may have been too hasty in his assumption of what team the bartender was a part of. Perhaps he should order another drink and test the waters a little bit, but first he needed to make room for said beverage. Setting down his glass, he stepped away from the bar and made his way through the billiard room to the restrooms.

“Keep the change,” the couple said to Cas as he set the two Long Island Iced Teas in front of them and accepted the $20 bill with a smile. He made quick work of cashing out the ticket at the register and pocketing his tip before turning back to where Dean had been sitting moments ago. Now it was just an empty space at the bar and Cas tried not to be sad about it as he retrieved the glass and wiped down the shiny wood.

He looked around the bar and, satisfied that the remaining customers were all taken care of, he brushed past Jody and let her know he was taking a quick break before they started the closing duties. Walking slowly towards the bathroom he scanned the faces of the thinning crowd in the hopes of seeing Dean but he wasn’t there. Cas sighed to himself, pulled the bathroom door open and stepped straight into Dean’s arms, which had been reaching out to push the door open from the opposite side. Cas brought up his hands in defense and was met with a strong firm chest.

“Oh excuse me”, Cas began as he looked up and froze in place. How had he not noticed how green the man’s eyes were while they were talking at the bar? “I’m sorry. I… um... “, Cas stammered. Dean’s hand had gently gripped his arm in a reflex to keep Cas from falling during their collision and he hadn’t let go yet. Cas’ mouth was going dry, either from the roughness of Dean’s touch or the proximity to his lips, he wasn’t sure which.

“If you wanted to dance you didn’t have to follow me to the bathroom for it,” Dean quipped in a soft breathless voice. He slowly rubbed his thumb across Castiel’s arm but couldn’t stop staring at him. So blue, Dean thought to himself. His chest burned from where Cas’ hands rested and it was a wonder his pulse didn’t jump right out of his body onto the floor at their feet. He lowered his face towards Cas and whispered, “Are you alright?”

Cas couldn’t form words, it was all he could do to remember to breathe. He could feel the warmth of Dean’s breath on his skin, smell the slightest hint of spearmint mixed with whiskey, and licked his own bottom lip. The only coherent thought in his mind was _kiss me. Please._

“Castiel… “ They stood there, the seconds ticking by like hours. Eyes locked on one another, not moving, barely breathing. Cas tightened his fingers on Dean’s shirt and closed his eyes as he pulled him forward. _Kiss me…_

Then a chorus of loud yells sounded on the other side of the door, startling Cas. “Yes I’m… I’m fine, thanks.” He dropped his hands and took a step away from Dean, feeling the door against his back. 

Dean ran his fingers down Cas’ arm and felt him shiver before reluctantly shoving his hands in his pockets. Dean let out a breath and silently thanked whatever deity had answered his prayer. He stepped to Cas’ side and caught the scent of his aftershave, pine and musk. He breathed it in, letting it cloud his brain for a moment before mumbling, “I need another drink” and stepping out of the restroom.

Cas leaned back against the doorjamb and closed his eyes. His arm was still tingling where Dean had trailed his fingers and his breath was coming in quick gasps in response to his galloping heartbeat. He stumbled over to the sink and passed his hand in front of the sensor, cupping the cool water in his hands and generously splashing his face with it. Not wanting to fight the sensor for the towel dispenser, he stepped into a stall and pulled out some toilet paper to pat his face dry. He locked the stall door, pulled down his Wranglers and plopped onto the seat. He couldn’t stand at a urinal right now if he wanted to so he sat there, focusing on taking deep breaths and bringing his heart rate down. He was almost successful until he realized just how close he’d been to having those beautiful lips on his own.

“DAMN IT!” He screamed as he smacked the side of the stall with his palm. He hadn’t been interested in anyone for quite a while, not since he’d found the phone photos of his now-ex fiancé Fergus kissing some schmuck named Bobby Singer 2 years earlier. But it looked like his body was making up for lost time, if the way he reacted to a virtual stranger was any indication. Cas took a breath and put himself back together, flushing the toilet and stepping out to wash his hands. Not even soap and cool water could wash off the leftover touch of Dean Winchester.

He left the restroom and ducked through the kitchen doors to grab a bottle of water. He snagged one out of the employee mini-fridge and gulped down half of it before stopping to take a breath. He capped the bottle and walked through the empty kitchen to the back end of the bar area. Jody had started the closing checklist without him and was currently checking levels of the bottom shelf liquor stock for inventory. Cas saw the karaoke DJ at the back entrance wheeling out equipment and had an idea. He raised a finger to Jody, signaling one more minute and approached the DJ, Charlie Bradbury.

“I don’t know how often you update your selection”, Cas began, “but I have a request, and I would consider it a personal favor if you could get this song in your selection as soon as feasible.”

Charlie’s red hair swished as she lifted speakers and boxes of wiring into her trailer with ease. She stopped and considered a moment before replying, “I can’t make any promises but I’ll see what I can do. What song did ya want?”

“Angel With A Shotgun by The Cab. Think you could get a hold of that one for me?”

Charlie grunted a little under the weight of the subwoofer she transferred into the trailer and simply replied, “Yep, I’ll see what I can do.” Cas thanked her and headed back into the bar with a smile. Dean was sitting at the far end of the bar with a barely touched drink in front of him, his eyes following Cas. Cas’ stomach did a somersault before he turned to Jody and asked what still needed to be done.

“If you could cash out Rock Star down there so we could count the register that would be great. I tried and he refused, said he was waiting for you. Something you forgot to tell me?”

The look Jody was drilling into him made him squirm. “There’s nothing to tell yet but I promise you’ll be the first to know.” Cas ducked any further questions by doing as she asked and heading for Dean. Cocking a smile as he reached him he said, “Sorry rock star, we’re shutting down. You’re gonna have to go warm a seat somewhere else.”

Dean let out a thoughtful “hmm” as he reached in his back pocket for his wallet and pulled out a credit card, handing it to Cas. He ran it through the reader and gave the receipt with a pen to Dean as Jody called him over. After signing the receipt Dean stood to leave, watching Cas confer with the other bartender over some papers. Cas looked so cute wrinkling his brow in confusion that Dean couldn’t help but smile. He took the last drink of his whiskey and left Cas a present on the napkin under it, feeling his heart take a nosedive as he took in the view once more before leaving.

When Cas turned away from the inventory list, Dean was gone. It left him feeling oddly empty inside so he tried to keep himself busy by cleaning up behind the bar. As he finished drying and storing the glasses, Jody shoved something under his nose. “Even though I’m cuter than you, I don’t think this is for me.”

Cas took the damp napkin and read it. There was a phone number written on it, followed by “Please call. -D” and a badly drawn picture of a cab. His faced warmed like he’d sat next to a cozy fire and smiled softly, staring at it.

Jody smacked him on the top of his head, “Earth to Cas, are you receiving me or do I need some kind of angel radio to get in your head?”


	2. Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean anxiously awaits a call from Castiel, who is dealing with some anxieties of his own.

Castiel was woken up to a slamming door and his brother’s drunk voice yelling, “Lu-cy I’m ho-me!” _Wrong brother_ , he thought to himself as he groped around his bed for his phone and squinted through the apocalyptic brightness to check the time. 4:58am. _Well at least the idiot beat the sunrise this time_ , as he rolled out of bed to relieve his bladder. Meanwhile Gabriel was making every loud sound imaginable to ensure their neighbors knew he was home. Cas flushed and stumbled out to the kitchen in boxers and socks, not caring if his brother had brought home his bimbo of the week.

“Shut up dickhead or the association will fine us again. We’re already on Dick Roman’s shit list. Why the hell do you always have to come in like a damn Barnum & Bailey parade?” Cas tried to push past Gabe to the coffee pot but his brother grabbed him in a bear hug and spun him around the room.

“Because I’m HAPPY, brother of mine,” Gabriel exclaimed. “You should try it sometime. Better yet get laid. I haven’t met a problem that a good orgasm doesn’t fix.”

“That’s because you wouldn’t know the definition of a problem if it bit your dick off and fed it to you,” Cas grumbled as he shoved at Gabe. “Coffee. Now. MOVE!”

Even drunk, Gabriel knew better than to keep his brother from his coffee so he relented and let go, grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl on the kitchen table and taking a seat. “What’s put you in such a peachy mood,” he asked Cas as his brother dumped beans into the grinder and hit the power.

Castiel dumped the grounds into the filter before responding. “An extra hour of karaoke.” His brother groaned knowingly around a bite of banana while Cas poured water into the maker, replaced the carafe and begun the brew.

Gabriel swallowed and raised a brow at Cas. “Whose genius idea was that?” Gabe laughed at the raised eyebrow his brother shot at him and shook his head. “Of course it was Charlie’s.”

“That’s ok”, Cas replied. “I put her on a mission to add a song to her database, making clear it would be a PERSONAL favor so she better deliver by next Friday. Even karaoke DJ’s know to stay on the good side of their bartender,” he grinned, paying his brother back for the rude wake-up call.

Cas couldn’t resist pushing Gabriel’s buttons about the now-infamous night he’d nagged the bartender at Enigma, the night club he was a DJ for, so much that she’d lured him into the back room on the promise of a blowjob and ended up decking him instead. He received a write-up for harassment and was told to stay away from her. She was promoted to Assistant Manager, being cited for her “creative problem solving”. It was a miracle he still had his job but he’d given his new boss a wide berth and been on his best behavior, as far as she knew.

Gabriel glared at his brother and threw the banana peel, “Fuck you, limp noodle.”

Even with only one eye open, Castiel was easily able to dodge his brother’s terrible aim. As he picked up the peel and tossed it in the trash he chuckled and replied, “I don’t do charity work.”

Cas forgot how fast his brother was, even three sheets to the wind. Gabe was up like a shot and Cas ran for his room, at a handicap as his stockinged feet slid on the wood flooring. He made it to the door and his brother tackled him onto the bed, tickling him without mercy. He gasped for breath between laughter and tried to free his arms for leverage, but Gabe had him in a perfect wrestling pin.

“Get… off… of… me… you… DOUCHE!” Cas got his knees up and used his leg strength to buck upwards hard enough that Gabriel bounced to the other side of the mattress. Cas took the opportunity to roll fully off the other side of the bed onto his knees. He sat there wheezing and preparing for the next onslaught.

Instead he heard Gabe ask curiously, “What’s this, stud?”

Cas was confused for a minute until the light bulb in his brain turned on. The napkin from Dean. _Fuck_. He scrambled back onto the bed and tried to grab it out of his brother’s hands but he pushed himself off the bed and nonchalantly leaned against the wall.

“Please call. Hmm, who’s D and what’s with the car? Does the ‘d’ stand for DeLorean?” He watched Cas with curiosity and waited.

Castiel sat on the edge of his bed and let out a breath. “He’s just a guy I met at the bar last night. Can I please have that back?”

Gabe’s eyes widened and he silently handed his brother the crumpled napkin without a word. No threats, no insults, just a plea for the return of his item. _‘Just a guy’ my golden ass_ , he thought and sat down next to his brother, putting an arm around his shoulder. “Want to tell me about him?”

Cas leaned into his brother for a head bump, their little way of showing love, and sighed. “I don’t know that there’s much to tell but can I have a hit of caffeine first?” 

****************************

While Cas was filling his brother in on the events of the previous evening, Dean was up with the sunrise fully dressed and full of nervous energy even before his normal half pot of coffee. He took a pull of the beer he’d just cracked open and frowned down at his phone again. Maybe it was vanity but he had been sure Castiel felt the same pull to each other that he had in that bathroom. So why hadn’t he called, or at least sent a text? Dean took another sip of his beer and cursed himself. _Why the hell didn’t I hang around to get his number?_ That would’ve been the logical thing but no. His nature was to be withdrawn and mysterious, thanks in part to past lessons he’d had to learn the hard way.

_You’re an idiot, Winchester._ Dean swigged the last of his beer and grabbed his keys. He needed to fill his mind with something other than Castiel’s ocean blue eyes and thrumming voice. He was halfway to the garage door when he heard the telltale sound of his brother Sam’s giant footsteps coming down the stairs two at a time. At 6’1” Dean could hold his own in the height department but his baby brother towered at 6’4”, almost a full head taller. It’s hard to order around a little brother when you have to crane your neck at him. Life was a bitch sometimes.

Sam saw the garage door close behind Dean as he approached the kitchen, so he decided to make a detour. His broody brother being awake almost before the sun was never a good omen for the day. He poked his head into the garage as Dean was climbing into his prized Impala. “Where you goin?” He asked.

Dean glared at him. “Out. In the car, like a normal person. Go workout that girly figure of yours would you? I’ll be back in a few hours.” With that Dean shut the car door on Sam’s questioning look and reached up to punch the garage door opener. The Chevy roared to life and Dean saw an understanding look cross his brother’s face when he heard the squeal coming from the car. Dean nodded at him once and backed out, closing the garage door as the Impala’s nose cleared the sensors. Sam shrugged and went back inside to make his protein shake before his run.

Dean originally was heading to the garage where he worked to try and sweet talk them into letting him use a bay for a few hours but he decided he just wanted a quiet area to calm himself by working on Baby. He took a right at the next light and headed for his thinking spot, a long abandoned empty lot littered with all sorts of flotsam, situated across the river from the local tobacco factory. Probably not the healthiest spot he could choose but the hum of the machinery from the factory seasoned with the occasional putter of a boat engine never ceased to calm his mind.

He parked on the thin patch of broken pavement he always did and cut the engine, silencing the high-pitched squeal. Picking up his phone, he swiped it open and stared down at the picture he’d snapped of Castiel talking to his female coworker last night. The lighting hadn’t been good and he didn’t want to tip him off to the photo, so Dean had left the flash off. Pity he couldn’t see his eyes but he only had to close his own for that. No, Dean had taken the picture so he could remember their first meeting. Presumptuous maybe but the sight of Castiel in his black company polo and well-fitted jeans stirred something in him he couldn’t quite define, and he badly wanted to explore it.

Dean closed his eyes and prayed to himself, _please call_. Leaving his phone on the passenger seat and the windows open, he retrieved his tire iron from the trunk and took a slow walk around the Impala, kicking or swatting away garbage that would get in the way or infect him with something. Satisfied with the work area he stepped back around to the trunk and pulled out his tool bag. Slamming the trunk, he leaned in through the driver’s side window and popped the hood. Rounding to the front of the car he dropped his duffel with a loud metal clank and propped the panel up.

Running his hand along the front body and leaning in, he said to himself, “Alright sweetheart, let’s see what’s wrong with you.”

****************************

Gabriel had many questionable qualities that Cas wasn’t fond of but the love for his family wasn’t one of them. With the napkin sitting on the table between them while they both sipped coffee, Gabe listened quietly to his brother, hearing the words he didn’t say. He knew his brother well and was well aware the boy had no clue how his eyes got cloudy when he dared to dream. Gabe had missed seeing that look in his eyes and silently damned Fergus MacLeod straight to hell for stealing that from his brother for so long.

Cas paused to take a drink of his coffee and Gabe took the moment to muss his brother’s hair before asking, “So why didn’t you kiss him?”

Pointing his eyes to the ceiling in an exasperated prayer for patience he looked back at his brother, “He was so close Gabe. The man had short circuited my brain cells okay? By the time they started coming back online he’d gone back out to the bar.”

“That I get,” Gabe said. “What I don’t understand is why you haven’t called him yet. There’s obviously something there from what you’ve told me. You’re half in love with him already so why not find out what it is?”

Castiel dropped his cup to the table with a loud thunk and stared open-mouthed at his brother. “I am NOT in love with Dean Winchester, Gabriel! I barely know the man and all we did was share an almost-kiss in an empty bathroom. Loving someone after knowing them less than 12 hours is just absurd.”

Gabe fixed his brother with a look that plainly said, _yeah right_. But allowing him the benefit of his delusions, for now, he replied by saying, “Ok so maybe not love but you’re in definite like with him, sprinkled with some lust. So again I have to ask, why have you not called him yet?”

“It’s 9:30am on a Saturday morning, Gabriel. Mr. Winchester didn’t look to be the type that rises with the birds.”

Gabe had enough and grabbed his coffee mug, marching angrily to the sink with it. Turning back to face the brother he loved so much he yelled, “That’s BULLSHIT Castiel and you fucking know it! You’re so damned afraid to put yourself out there again because _**Fergus**_ ,” he spat the word, “made you think you’re broken and don’t deserve to be happy!” Cas’ eyes fell to his lap and Gabe sprung forward, turning his brother around on the bar stool and grabbing his arms.

“ **You’re. NOT. Broken!** ” He screamed in his brother’s face, enunciating each word with more force than the last. “Do you hear me?? You never were and if you’d let me, I would gleefully send that vicious cheating whore straight to hell for making you feel this way.” 

Somewhere under his volatile temper, Gabriel registered the wince of pain on Cas’ face and released his arms, taking his hands gently as he head butted him and slid to his knees on the floor in front of him. _Too long_ , Gabriel thought. _I’ve let this go unsaid for far too long._

Gabriel took a breath and looked up into his brother’s tear-filled eyes. “You deserve so much happiness Castiel, more than Fergus MacLeod ever brought you. You’re a far better man than I am, a hundred times wiser than Michael and I can’t bring myself to disgrace Lucy so badly by comparing the two of you.” Cas laughed wetly as the tears streamed down his face but he saw the pure truth in his favorite brother’s eyes.

But Gabe wasn’t done. “You can’t see yourself Cas. You didn’t see the way your eyes lit up when you told me about hearing Dean singing your favorite song. You didn’t notice the way your voice cracked when you described the smell of his breath. Whiskey and spearmint, you said, like it was the most erotic scent in the world. I’m not even sure you realized the way your finger was outlining the D on that napkin when you were pretending to drink your coffee.”

He brought his forehead to Castiel’s and kept it there, whispering, “I see it, brother. I see the happiness you’re afraid to reach for and I really wish you would. Dean’s the one that gave you his number, remember? He took the risk of rejection because he thinks you’re worth it. Isn’t the chance at happiness worth the same risk to you?”

Castiel did something he hadn’t done in far too long – he pulled his brother into an embrace and cried his fears out all over his shoulder. Gabe just held him tight and quietly cried with him, rubbing his back and repeating softly, “Please be happy Cassie. Let Dean make you happy.”

After a while, Cas’ tears dissolved into soft gasps for air and Gabe knew his brother had emptied himself of the demons that had haunted him for years. He could start to heal now and Gabe hoped to hell that this Dean was up to the challenge, because he badly wanted his brother back.

Castiel gave his brother a final squeeze and leaned back, wiping his eyes and running his hands down his face. Gabe smiled when he saw the first glimpse of hope in those blue eyes. Giving his brother a playful noogie he said, “Now don’t you have a phone call to make?”

Swatting at Gabe’s hand, Cas took a deep breath and replied, “I guess I do.” He smiled hopefully and grabbed the napkin, heading for his room.


	3. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas and Dean make a date!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a pretty short chapter but the next one more than makes up for it I think. I hope y'all are enjoying it!

Cas closed his bedroom door softly behind him and leaned against it, letting his head fall back and closing his eyes. With the noose that was his ex-fiancé no longer strangling him, images of Dean floated through his mind. It wasn’t love, it couldn’t be, but there was definitely something strong there. Opening his eyes he padded over to the bed and sat on the side, staring down at Dean’s strong handwriting. _Please call._ It was the ‘please’ that got to him. As a bartender receiving phone numbers from all kinds of people came with the territory but none had said please. He couldn’t put his finger on why that mattered so much but it did.

Cas grabbed his phone off the nightstand and climbed under the covers, rolling onto his left side and snuggling into his pillow. Swiping his phone open, he typed in Dean’s number and added it to his contact list, wishing he had a photo to attach to the listing. Sighing, he saved the information and opened a new text message. He typed, “Hello Dean…” and hovered over the send button a moment before deleting it. _Not this time_ , he told himself. He didn’t want to take the safe route anymore and he so badly wanted to hear Dean Winchester’s voice.

He tapped on the call button and tucked the phone under his head against the pillow since his hands were shaking too badly to hold it steady. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths as he listened to it ring. Once. Twice. On the third ring he thought Dean may not answer and started to panic about whether or not to leave a message. On the tail end of the fourth ring Cas was about to hang up when he heard Dean’s voice.

“Yeah what?” He sounded so mad that Cas was afraid to speak. “Hello?” Dean’s voice was a little calmer that time.

Cas swallowed and cleared his throat. “Hello Dean,” was all he could manage to get out.

At the abandoned lot Dean collapsed behind the Impala’s steering wheel and let out a breath. “Castiel.” He’d been on pins and needles for so many hours waiting for this call but now he couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“I.. I hope I didn’t wake you,” Cas managed to find his voice. “I know it’s not that early but, well some people like to sleep late on a Saturday.”

Looking at the clock on his dashboard Dean realized he was usually one of those people and chuckled. Was it really only a little after 11:00? He felt like he’d been up for hours, which he supposed he had since he’d never truly gone to sleep after leaving Rougarou. To Cas he said, “I’ve been awake for a bit. How about you?”

“My brother woke me at o’dark thirty so I’ve been up a while too.” Cas closed his eyes and took a chance saying, “I was thinking about you.”

Surprised by the admission Dean’s voice got soft when he said, “I’ve been thinking about you too, most of the night in fact.”

With a smile Cas felt his nervousness subside and his playful nature take over. “Only most of the night?”

Dean groaned into the phone, “Okay, all night alright? Happy?”

“Quite, thank you,” Cas responded. He heard what sounded like a foghorn in the background and asked, “Where are you? It sounds like you’re on a boat.”

“I’m at the river working on my car,” he told Cas. “One of the belts slipped and she was making unhappy noises when I left the bar last night. When my Baby’s in pain, I’m in pain so I needed to take a look.”

Cas shook his head. _Boys and their cars_ , he thought to himself. “Your car’s a woman? Is this a serious thing or…,” Cas asked curiously.

“Oh it’s very serious between her and I. She gives me a good ride every time I’m inside her,” Dean said with a smirk.

Cas laughed at the innuendo and replied, “Well then shall I leave you alone to kiss her hurts? I wouldn’t want her to be too rough with you for ignoring her.”

 _Where was this sass last night_ , Dean wondered. He was liking it. He liked it a lot actually. Biting his lip to keep from letting the innuendo go too far he said, “I was actually just finishing up when you called. She’s just purring like a kitten now.” He turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life, enunciating the point.

Cas heard the loud growl of the engine and couldn’t resist a dig. “You know what they say about men that like big noises, right?”

“They like to make an entrance,” Dean quipped. “Can you hang on a second? I need to finish wiping the grease off my hands.”

“Of course,” Cas said snuggling deeper into the blankets. It wasn’t as hard as he feared, making casual conversation with a man he was attracted to. He couldn’t picture the car but the image of Dean sweaty and dirty under the hood had those butterflies in his stomach stirring again, or perhaps it was a little lower.

Dean dropped his phone onto the seat and climbed out of the Impala, slamming the hood and returning his tools to the kit before tossing the bag into the backseat. Pulling the rag out of his back pocket, he climbed back into the driver’s seat and wiped down his hands as best as he could. He needed a good scrub but it would have to do for now.

Picking the phone back up he said, “Alright, sorry about that.” Silence. Dean pulled the phone from his ear and checked the display. He hadn’t lost the connection. “Castiel?”

“Hmm? Dean?”

“Yeah I’m here.” _What the hell_ , Dean thought. _He sounds stoned._ “Are you ok?”

“I’m sorry,” Cas replied softly. “I must’ve fallen asleep while waiting. I’m exhausted and laying in bed and I guess it was just so quiet…” Cas’ voice trailed off.

“Go to sleep Castiel. I didn’t realize you were so tired,” Dean said. “But… umm… I was wondering if you’d like to maybe have breakfast with me tomorrow?” _A breakfast date? Where the hell had that idea come from?_

Cas’ heart skipped a beat. “I’d love to. Where did you have in mind?”

“I haven’t got that far into the plan yet,” Dean admitted. “And I really don’t care as long as you’re there.”

Cas gasped as those butterflies went into hyperdrive. “Ok well… how about we wing it? I’ll text you my address and you can pick me up around 10:00am? I have to work tonight so that will give me time to take a nap.”

“Good plan,” Dean replied. “Well then I’ll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams, Castiel.”

Cas was already half asleep. “Mmm, only if they’re of you Dean Winchester,” he said and tapped the end button on his phone. _Let him enjoy his good ride with that on his mind_ , Cas thought to himself as he fell into unconsciousness.

********************************

Dean stared at his phone with a grin. _Sassy little wench, aren’t you?_ Sliding his phone into the pocket of his jeans, he started up the car and picked his way out of the parking lot heading for home. A shower and a nap sounded like a fine idea, one he would indulge in as soon as he filled his belly. He made a quick detour to the golden arches and was home before he knew it. Closing the garage door behind him, he stepped in and headed to the stairs. He was intercepted by his brother at the foot of the steps.

“Hey,” Sam said. “Car fixed?”

“Purring like a kitten,” Dean replied. “Finish your decathlon for the morning?”

“It wouldn’t kill you to go for a run Dean,” Sam told him. “All that beer you drink and not to mention the crap in that bag.”

Dean slapped his brother on the shoulder. “You’re the healthy one. I’m the good looking one, Sammy. Don’t cross the streams.” He jogged up the stairs and turned back to his brother. “You got plans tonight Sam?”

“I thought about meeting up with some friends but nothing set in stone yet,” Sam replied. “Why, what’s up?”

“Just feeling restless I guess,” Dean said. “Wanna go grab a drink with your big brother before playing social butterfly?”

Sam eyed Dean with interest for a minute before replying, “Sure. I’m going out to catch a baseball game but I should be back by 8.”

Dean grunted an affirmative and threw a salute to his brother. “Have fun,” he said before disappearing into his room.

 _Something is definitely up_ , Sam thought as he headed out to his Charger. Perhaps if he bought his brother enough drinks tonight, he could even find out what it was. _Should be an interesting night_ , Sam smiled to himself as he backed out of the driveway and hit ‘play’ on his iPod.


	4. Lady Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean decides to surprise Cas, and brings Sam along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter a year and a half ago, but it seems fitting for it to be posted after the most recent SPN episode was aired. Don't worry, there's no spoilers!
> 
> Keep the comments and kudos coming! I absolutely LOVE that you all are liking this so far!

Dean was woken up by the opening notes of Alice Cooper’s “Poison” and fumbled around in the dark for his phone. Yanking it out of the pocket of his discarded jeans he answered with a barely intelligible, “Yeah.”

Sam’s voice came on the line. “Got caught in game traffic but I’m on my way home. You wanna just meet me somewhere?”

“Huh?” Dean looked around his room for a clock. “What time is it?”

Sam bellowed out a laugh, “It’s 9:30 Dean. How many beers have you had?”

“I was asleep, ass jackal. Give me 20 and I’ll meet you at Roadhouse.” Dean clicked off the phone and stumbled to the bathroom. Flipping the light and squinting while his eyes adjusted, he fumbled open the shower door and turned on the spray. While the water heated up he emptied his bladder and brushed the leftover taste of Big Mac out of his mouth, thinking about where to take Cas in the morning. Was he already at Rougarou or did his shift begin later in the night?

Dean climbed into the shower and let the hot water roll down his back before reaching for his 2-in-1 shampoo. He made quick work of scrubbing himself clean and hopped out, wrapping the towel around his waist and using his hand to wipe the fog off the mirror. He made a half-assed attempt to tame his facial hair with the clippers and swiped a dab of gel through his hair just to keep it in line. He heard the soft chirp from his phone signaling a text message and glanced down at his night table to see the promised address from Castiel.

Smiling to himself, he began rummaging around his dresser for a passable pair of denim. After sliding on his boxer briefs though, he had another idea. He grabbed his phone again and pulled up Rougarou’s website, looking for any excuse besides Castiel to change his meeting place with Sam. Someone up there really must like him lately because right on top of the page there was an announcement for a billiard tournament from 10:00pm until closing. It had been years since he’d trounced suckers over 9-ball but, as he eyed his personal pool stick, it sounded like great fun with the added bonus of a great view.

Dean redialed Sam’s number and heard the clank of glasses as he answered. “You standing me up,” Sam asked.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, but we’re changing venues,” Dean replied.

“Uh… come again,” Sam asked after a pause.

“We’re going to Rougarou. There’s a pool tourney tonight and I’ve got an itch to run some tables. You in?”

Another pause, but Dean could tell his brother was digesting the idea. “Grab my gear out of the closet,” Sam said. “I’ll hit an ATM and meet you there. What’s the registration fee?”

Dean replied with a grin, “$50 per team, $35 for singles.”

“I’ll pay the fee, you buy the drinks. See you in 15,” Sam said as he disconnected.

Dean pulled a pair of black Wrangler’s out of his closet, zipped them up, slipped his cell phone in the pocket and considered the shirt choices. He pulled out a green tee then rejected it for a light gray v-neck, slipping it over his head. Unburying his rarely used combat boots and snagging a pair of socks from the basket of clean clothes in the corner, he sat on his bed and completed the outfit. He went back into the bathroom and took a few extra minutes to clean up his scruff, dabbing himself with a touch of aftershave. Moving his head side to side to check his work, he gave a satisfied wink at himself in the mirror and dashed out, grabbing his and Sam’s billiard gear on his way to the Impala.

************************************

Rougarou’s parking lot was packed and Dean ended up parking the Impala several blocks over in an attempt to protect it from the pool players that may come out drunk, or mad, enough to take it out on his Baby. Sam was braver, as Dean saw his brother’s Charger in the middle of the throng of cars. Sam got out as Dean approached and handed him the billiard case.

“Fun started yet,” Dean asked.

Sam shook his head as they started walking towards the entrance. “We’re already signed up but they’re still doing registration. The lady said it would probably be another 15 minutes before they started calling pairs. They’ve got individuals on the tables now.”

The brothers entered Rougarou and scanned for somewhere to wait, not seeing anything but bodies. “There’s a patio outside we could try,” Sam informed his brother.

“Important things first Sammy.” Dean pulled a $20 out of his wallet and handed it to Sam, taking his billiard gear so it wouldn’t get damaged by the throng at the bar. “Get my usual while I drain the lizard. Don’t skimp on the tip. I wouldn’t want to be them tonight,” he said as he weaved through the masses. He stopped in the billiard room to watch a single player break and had to swallow a laugh when the amateur scratched the cue ball, automatically losing him the game. _If this is our competition this won’t even be a workout_ , Dean thought cockily, stepping into the restroom.

Sam stood behind a deep crowd at the bar, watching the bartenders speed through orders. It seemed to be all hands on deck for the evening as there were 3 women and 2 men behind the wood top dancing around each other for bottles and glasses. But he had to admire them for the ability to work together in such a way, even while they held cordial conversation with the patrons. Dean was right, they deserve a big tip.

The group in front of him received their drinks and Sam stepped up to the bar. A smiling blonde flipped her hair back out of the way and asked, “What can I get for you tall, dark and yummy?”

Sam smiled at her and said, “One house draft and one top shelf whiskey on the rocks.”

The blonde gave him a wink and said, “Comin’ at ya”, as she bent down for a mug and pulled the beer from the tap.

“JO,” an older brunette yelled from the register as the blonde’s head jerked around. “I need you, NOW!” The blonde gave Sam a sheepish look and turned to the closest bartender, a dark haired man mixing some kind of pink concoction that looked like Pepto Bismol. He leaned towards the blonde to listen and nodded, pouring the drink out of the blender into two glasses and handing them to a couple of ladies near Sam.

Castiel grabbed the draft smoothly on his way to Sam and placed it on the bar. “Sorry about that, here's your draft. Whiskey rocks, was it?”

“Right,” Sam said. As the man dropped ice into a tumbler Sam asked, “She’s not in trouble for flirting with me, is she? It didn’t bother me.”

Cas poured the whiskey into the glass with a shrug. “Could be anything. They’re mother and daughter so your guess is as good as mine. All she told me was the draft and the whiskey. Did you want anything else?”

Sam smiled at the man graciously, “No that should do us to start. Any idea when the pairs tournament begins? My brother seems to have disappeared and I need to know how long I have to find him before sending out a search party.”

Cas turned around to check the clock. “Should be anytime now. There weren’t a lot of singles so they should be wrapping up. That’ll be $10.50.”

Sam put the $20 on the bar and said, “Keep the change but split it with her, and tell her I’m sorry if I got her in trouble.”

Cas nodded and slipped the bill off the bar. “Thanks and good luck in the tournament.”

Cas cashed out the sale and dropped the tip into the box below the register. On nights like this the bar tips were divided up evenly between the tenders to avoid conflicts behind the bar. None of them were fond of the policy but it did keep unnecessary bickering over patrons to a minimum so he couldn’t argue the validity of it. 

As Cas moved over to address another group of men he felt a chill run down his back that made the hair on his neck stand up. He stopped a moment and looked around, wondering what set it off. He couldn’t spot anyone in particular looking his way but he’d learned not to ignore this kind of feeling. He kept scanning the crowd, seeing the tall man he’d just served ducking into the billiard room, the servers rushing around between tables but nothing untoward going on. Cas took a breath and tried to shrug it off, pasting a smile on his face and approaching the next patrons.

Dean was standing at a high top table in the billiard room when Sam handed him his drink. “You were right. I just watched a bartender get her head chewed off for flirting with me.”

Dean snorted into his drink. “If she was flirting with you, she deserved it. There’s gotta be better choices here.”

“Kiss ass,” Sam said, sipping his beer. “See any challenges?”

Dean put his drink down and snorted again. “Saw a fool scratch the break a bit ago. This is gonna be like taking candy from a Halloween bucket.”

Sam shook his head at his brother. “We haven’t run tables in years. Don’t get cocky until there’s a reason.”

“It’s in the bag Sammy,” Dean replied as he mussed his brother’s hair. “I’m gonna go find out how much longer it’ll be.”

Dean stepped out of the billiard room and focused on the bar, finding Castiel immediately. His hair was flopping everywhere and Dean could see the ends curling slightly with sweat. His fingers itched to wrap one of those curls around his fingers as he saw Castiel reward a patron with his million dollar grin. He grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and stopped a waitress to borrow her pen. Doodling a quick cab on the napkin, he handed the pen and napkin to the waitress. “Could you give this to Castiel,” he asked her.

“Who,” she said.

“The brown haired guy behind the bar,” Dean explained. “It’s an inside joke.”

“You mean Cassie? Sure.” She looked Dean up and down then was off.

_Cassie?_ Dean watched the waitress call Castiel over to the waitress station and he ducked back into the billiard room.

Cas grumbled under his breath as Meg called him over to the waitress station. _If it’s something stupid just to flirt with me, I’m going to wring her neck_. On a normal night it was tolerated because she was a co-worker but he didn’t have the patience tonight.

“What is it Meg,” he asked a bit impatiently.

“Well pardon me your majesty,” Meg snapped at him. “I need 4 Bud longnecks and I have a delivery for you,” she said as she dropped the napkin on the bar and sashayed off to check her tables.

_Bitch_ , Cas said to himself then froze as he looked down. **_Dean._**

Castiel’s head snapped up and his eyes darted everywhere as he heard Jody announce the beginning of the pairs tournament. A mass of bodies moved from the bar room towards the billiard entrance and stayed there, the small room unable to occupy so many. That’s where he had to be.

Cas moved to serve patrons still at the bar with lightning speed, mixing drinks and running receipts like his life depended on it. When Jo came back from her break he took his own, grabbing a bottle of water and heading for the billiard room the back way through the kitchen. When he came out the kitchen’s double doors and turned past the bathrooms, he stood at the corner partially out of view scanning the crowd.

Dean was standing at a high top at the middle pool table, leaning on glittering black pool stick, watching what could only be described as a surly-looking Santa line up a shot. The tall brown-haired man Cas had served earlier stood nearby and leaned towards Dean to say something. _Brother_ , Cas realized. _Whiskey… and spearmint._ His insides warmed as he watched the faces of both men light up as the shot missed it’s target.

Dean darted those green eyes over the table, sizing up options and angles. He took a slow sip of his whiskey and his eyes narrowed as he appeared to make a decision. Setting down his glass, Cas watched as Dean rounded the table facing away from him and bent over the table. Castiel’s mouth watered seeing the black denim mold to him. _Perfection_ , Cas thought as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Dean slid the cue back in his hands and thrust it forward, connecting with the ball and sinking a stripe into the corner pocket on a hook shot. A couple of hoots rang out as Dean straightened up, and headed for the high top.

He gave his brother a high five and stretched up to speak in his ear, the tall man nodding and walking towards the table. Cas looked at the table and saw there was one ball remaining for each team, plus the eight-ball. The surly Santa and his partner were talking animatedly, occasionally nodding towards the table, likely arguing about the missed shot.

“Sink it Sam,” Dean growled out as Cas looked over at him, taking a sip of his water and feeling his mouth go dry again. Cas could see Dean’s chest rise and fall with anticipation through his form fitting shirt and watched his biceps flex slightly as he gripped his pool cue tighter. _God he’s gorgeous._

Sam smacked the last remaining stripe head-on into the side pocket as the cue ball bounced backward, settling into perfect position for a corner pocket shot. In Rougarou tournament’s either teammate could take the 8-ball shot and Cas prayed Dean would take it. While Sam approached his brother, Cas felt someone pinch his arm and turned to see Jody smiling at him.

“Break’s over, lover boy. Give him a kiss for luck and get back behind the bar,” Jody said.

Cas looked back at Dean and replied, “He doesn’t know I’m here. Did you know?”

Jody shook her head. “You never told me his last name and his brother signed them up when he arrived.”

Castiel went silent as Dean approached the table, chalking his cue with his face towards the opposing team. He leaned down and lined up with beautiful form, looking up briefly at his opponents and shooting them a wink before drawing the stick back slowly and tapping the cue ball. _Cocky bastard_ , Cas smiled to himself as the black ball dropped into the pocket amidst applause.

Turning to Jody he asked, “Where does that place them?”

“Semi’s,” Jody replied. “We’re waiting on those two games to finish before calling the next round.”

Cas took a long pull of his water and nodded, stepping away to go back to the bar. Jody put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’ll relieve you for the finals.”

Giving her a hug Cas said, “If they make it.”

Jody grinned, “They will. I’ve watched the competition and there is none for them, unless they get drunk. Then all bets are off.”

“Well then I’ll just have to water down their drinks,” Cas said with a mischievous smile and headed back to the bar. Squeezing past Ellen he said, “Your turn.”

Ellen shot him a glare and said, “You’re five minutes over.”

Cas turned to the older brunette and said, “So dock me five minutes. I was watching the end of one of the games ok?”

Huffing, Ellen slammed the register and stalked off, taking her queen-of-sheba attitude with her. Cas shook his head and knew if she gave him anymore flak, he’d show her a damn Queen. 

Jo came up and hugged him lightly. “Don’t worry about her. Dad called before we came in and she’s been Super Bitch ever since. It’s not you.”

“Yeah well, I’m not her ex-husband so she needs to put a leash on it before I call Benny and have her muzzled,” Cas said angrily.

As Jo turned to pull drafts for a server she said, “So, are you gonna introduce me to the brother?”

Cas stared at her a minute then shook his head. “Jody’s a dead woman.”

Dropping the glasses on a tray for the server, Jo laughed and turned back to him. “She was covering your ass, Cassie. You never take long breaks so I knew something was up. She only told me because she wanted me to deal with Mom. Speaking of which,” she handed the napkin to Cas. “Next time don’t leave this where you’ll have to explain it.”

Cas took the napkin, folded it gently in half and put it in his pocket. “Thanks. As to the brother, he said he was sorry if you got in trouble for flirting with him earlier. I haven’t even formally met him yet so that introduction you want may take some doing.”

Jo smiled, “That’s sweet of him.” She caught sight of something behind Cas and straightened up. “Here comes dragon lady now. We’ll talk more later.”

Ellen walked up to Cas with a look and he simply held up a hand in her face and said, “Stop. I’m not him so either get past it or stay away from me.” She shot a look at her daughter and Cas continued, “No. You won’t make her pay for it either. I deserved to know what crawled up your ass and died since you were treating me like a bug you wanted to step on. That’s the first time I’ve taken a long break in 4 years, Ellen. I can name at least 3 instances of you doing the same, in the last MONTH.”

Ellen took a deep breath and hung her head, Castiel satisfied he’d made his point. He only hoped Jo wouldn’t have to deal with the fallout from it later. Turning away, he saw the tournament crowd making their way out of the billiard room, some heading for the bar and some heading out the door. Elimination rounds were over and the semi-finals would begin in ten minutes. Cas braced himself for the brief rush.

A few minutes later he was pouring a round of shots for one of the semi-finalist teams when Jo hip-bumped him and took the bottle from his hands, nodding her head towards where she’d just been standing. Looking up, Cas saw Sam standing at the bar looking on curiously and made his way over.

Sam looked over at Jo then back at Cas. “Alrighty then. I guess that answers my earlier question.”

Cas shook his head at Sam, “Not what you think. Congratulation on making the semi-finals. Draft and whiskey rocks?”

“Good memory,” Sam said. “But just 2 drafts this round. I don’t suppose the kitchen is still open?”

Shaking his head again as he drew the drafts Cas replied, “Sorry, no. They shut down an hour ago.”

“Figures,” Sam replied, dropping another $20 on the bar. “Keep the change.. uh… I didn’t catch your name.”

“Cassie,” Cas told him. “That’s what everyone calls me.”

“Nice to meet you Cassie. I’m Sam. Thanks for the beers,” Sam nodded to Cas as he walked off.

From behind him, Cas heard Jo’s voice asking, “Is his brother that yummy looking?”

Cas closed his eyes and saw Dean standing there, confident and cocky in black jeans and a tight gray shirt. Sighing he replied, “Yummier.”

********************************

An hour later, Cas snuck around to the back of the billiard room and watched the last game of the semi-finals between the brothers Winchester and a couple of younger country boys he never would’ve pegged to make it past the preliminaries. But it looked like they weren’t making it any further, as the Winchesters were running the table. Solids this time, Cas noted, and they had that unspoken understanding only brothers do. A look, a nod and another ball in the pocket. 

What an appealing pair they made. Cas only had eyes for Dean’s striking features but he could appreciate why Jo found Sam attractive. Tall and lean with dark, chin-length hair and a face that looked like it was chiseled by the Gods. Cas would be very surprised if Sam wasn’t already spoken for. Anyone with eyes would tumble like a bowling pin for looks like that.

The onlookers groans brought Cas back when Dean missed a hook shot and accidentally knocked in one of the opposing teams balls. The country boys exchanged a high five while Dean stepped over to Sam, saying something Cas couldn’t hear. He made his way back to the bar and caught a knowing smile from Jo.

Cas looked around for something to do and guiltily realized that everything had been done in his absence. All the remaining customers were watching the tournament and the bar was as clean as it could be in preparation for one more round. The clock was ticking down to 2:00am so they would announce last call at the break before finals. Non-alcoholic drinks would still be available during the final round but the bar would essentially be closed.

Cas looked towards the billiard room when cheers erupted, signaling the 8-ball had been dropped. He headed to his station and Jody grabbed his hand, crooking her finger for him to follow. He did so without a word.

Once they were in the empty kitchen, Jody turned to him and simply said, “Clock out. Your shift’s over.”

Cas’ jaw dropped and he stammered, “But… what…?”

“There’s less than 20 people coming out of that room and at least a few of them are leaving,” Jody informed him. “They’re in the finals, Cassie. Go to him. You and I both know you want to.”

Cas engulfed Jody in a bear hug and dashed back to the register, swiping his employee card and punching out. Running through the kitchen, he barreled out the double doors and rounded the corner. Taking a breath, he leaned against the wall and watched Dean take the last swig of his draft. Sam was nowhere to be seen and only one other man was in the room, chalking a gold pool cue.

Dean turned around and his eyes met Cas’. Without a word, Cas crooked a finger at Dean while taking a few steps backwards. When Dean took a step forward, Cas turned and slowly walked to the kitchen doors. He tossed Dean a smirk and stepped through, waiting against the wall just out of sight for him to come through.

Dean pushed through the door and Castiel grabbed one of his hands, pulling him fast and hard against him, grabbing a fistful of hair with his free hand and bringing those gorgeous lips down on his own. He heard Dean groan as Cas nibbled his bottom lip and pressed his hips more firmly against him. Dean teased Castiel’s lips with his tongue until his lips parted on a moan. Taking Cas’ hands, he raised them above his head against the wall and pinned him with his weight, bringing his leg between Cas’ and pressing into the wall more firmly.

One by one the butterflies in Castiel’s stomach were exploding in rapid succession as he rocked his pelvis against Dean’s leg and felt himself struggling against the denim prison that confined him. _MORE_ , his body and mind screamed in unison as the taste that was only Dean intoxicated him. He wanted to touch but was so turned on by Dean’s strength that he didn’t struggle. He felt like he was being swallowed by the sun and all he could do was let it burn him alive.

_So sweet_ , Dean thought as he continued to taste and explore Castiel’s mouth, swallowing his moans like a starving man. He released Cas’ hands to run his own down the soft arms, down his sides to grip Cas’ hips and pull them flush against one another. When he felt Cas’ hands grip his hair and pull his mouth in deeper, he was drowning and didn’t even care. 

His hands were under Castiel’s shirt slowly running up his chest as he whimpered into his mouth, “Dean… please… “

Dean pulled his face away as Cas let out another whimper of protest. With Cas’ hands still fisted in his hair and his hands firm on his chest, Dean met his eyes and gasped. “You’re so beautiful,” and brought his lips slowly back to meet Castiel’s, gently suckling his bottom lip until he was rewarded with a soft moan.

A throat cleared behind them and they both jumped, looking over to find Jody smiling at them. “They’re ready for you,” she said and walked back to the bar.

Castiel laughed as Dean looked back at him with a look of horror on his face. “It’s okay, handsome. She knows. Who do you think is technically responsible for this little interlude?”

A slow smile crossed Dean’s face as he brought his hand up to run his fingers through Cas’ messy hair. “See, I was giving you the credit for that one. Now you’ve shattered my hopes and dreams.”

“You’ll get over it,” Cas said as he grabbed Dean’s shirt and pulled him down to nip his lip, licking it and then crushing his mouth against it. He leaned back against the wall again grinning and landed a well-aimed slap on Dean’s asscheek. “For luck. Now go kick some ass.”


	5. Wings and Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel takes Dean to his secret place, and opens himself up for the first time in many months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late post. Life got in the way a little bit this week. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll admit it's a little angsty but, if I did my job correctly writing it, it should touch your heart too.

“I still can’t believe you made that shot Sammy,” Dean exclaimed two hours later while they sat in a Denny’s booth with Castiel and Jody. “You really amaze me sometimes.”

Sam was grinning and, although he’d never admit it to his brother, had no idea how he managed to sink the 8-ball with a behind-the-back double hook shot. “That prize was ours when we walked in and you know it, although you seem to have gotten a better one,” Sam nodded appreciatively at Castiel. 

Dean wrapped his arm protectively around Cas and growled low in his throat at his brother. “Get your own. I saw him first,” as he turned and gave Cas a kiss that left him breathless.

Sam pulled a piece of ice out of his drink and threw it at his brother. “Get a room already. I still can’t believe you didn’t say anything about it,” he said for about the tenth time.

Dean planted a kiss behind Castiel’s ear before turning to Sam and staring him down. “Okay this is the last time I’m going to say this so get your hair out of your ears and pay attention. It. Was. Twenty. Four. HOURS! Most of which you weren’t even home so pull up your big girl panties and get over it.”

Jody laughed and shoulder bumped Sam, “He’s got you there kiddo.”

Castiel just smiled a secret smile and leaned against Dean’s arm, unable to believe he was so content to just sit there quietly listening to familiar brother banter. He felt Dean nuzzle his neck and whisper in his ear, “What’s going on in there, hmm?”

Cas looked up and saw 3 pairs of eyes watching him. “I’m just happy. Listening to you two reminds me of my relationship with one of my brothers.”

Jody rubbed Cas’ foot with her own under the table and said, “And I’m happy you’re so happy.” Shifting her eyes to Dean she heard him gulp before saying, “And if you don’t keep him that way, you and I will have problems Winchester. Big ones.”

Sam chuckled but swallowed it when Jody aimed the glare in his direction. “And you,” she said to him.

“Yes’m?”

“I’m counting on you to tell me if he misbehaves,” she said. “I’ll know the next time Cassie comes to work anyway so if I don’t hear it from you first, you’ll be a target too.”

Sam lowered his eyes and mumbled, “Yes’m.”

“Good,” Jody nodded, satisfied for now. She took a couple of $20’s out of her purse and dropped them on the table. “Thank you for a night filled with more fun than I’ve had in a long time gentlemen, but I think I’ve had my fill. The bill is on me for making my Cassie so happy.” Turning to Sam she said, “Be a gentleman and walk me out would you?”

As Sam climbed out of the booth, Jody leaned down to hug Cas and reached across him to give Dean a kiss on the cheek. Looking at the happiness on their faces, all she could do is sigh and turn to go. There were no words for something that sweet. She took Sam’s offered arm and walked with him into the night air. 

They approached her aging pickup and Jody turned to look up at Sam. “I need to know something Sam and I need to know it now. Is Dean capable of making him happy?”

Sam sighed and looked up at the stars. He’d been asking himself the same question and still didn’t have an answer. To Jody he said, “Are you looking for reassurances or a guarantee, Jody?”

It was a fair question and Jody thought about it a moment before responding. “A little of both I guess. When Cassie’s last relationship ended he became a shell of the man he used to be and it damn near killed me to watch. In the past two nights I’ve seen pieces of him come back to life I thought I would never see again. Your brother did that for him and gave a part of Cassie back to me. He’s like a son to me, Sam. I can’t watch him die in that shell again.”

Sam wrapped his arms around Jody and rubbed her back to comfort her. “I can’t offer you the guarantee you’re looking for, Jody, but I can tell you what I just saw in there. I saw my brother happy and relaxed with his arm around someone for the first time, well, pretty much ever. He’s had flings, as you would expect. He’s dated plenty, only one made it to the serious stage and they were together two years. In those two years, I never saw him as comfortable as he was tonight with Cas. I think they have a very good chance of being a lasting relationship, and I think that if my brother ever causes Castiel pain that it’ll hurt him just as much knowing he caused it. I don’t know if that’s what you were looking for, but it’s the best I can give you right now.”

Jody smiled at him and reached up to ruffle his long hair. “That eases my mind somewhat so thank you for that. Now go home and don’t wait up.”  
  


************************************

“So,” Castiel said as he nibbled on a French fry, “I think that went well, don’t you?”

Dean snorted out a laugh. “Well, Sam seemed genuinely happy for us and Jody didn’t leave any bruises so I suppose all-in-all it was a successful coming out for us.”

“Oh honey,” Cas looked at Dean. “I did that a long time ago. Didn’t you?”

Dean pushed a french fry around in the ketchup and replied, “Sam’s really the only one I had to come out to. Our mom died in a fire when Sam was a baby. Dad fell asleep while smoking in bed and the house went up like a stack of matches. He got Sam out of the nursery and brought him to me, telling me to get him out while he went back for Mom. He got her out, barely, but she had 3rd degree burns on over 70 percent of her body and inhaled so much smoke she needed a respirator to breathe. She slipped into a coma in the ambulance and never came out of it. They pulled the plug a week later.”

Cas wrapped his arms around Dean and laid his head on his shoulder. “Oh baby, I’m so sorry. What about your dad?”

“He drank himself to death with guilt when I was 16,” Dean said, devoid of emotion. “Sammy and I have been on our own ever since.”

Castiel knew no words could take the pain away so he did the only thing he could. He turned Dean to face him and kissed him slowly and gently, showing him that someone was here that cared. When Cas leaned back, Dean entwined their fingers and brought Cas’ hand to his lips.

Smiling at him, Dean said, “How did we ever get on such a depressing topic?”

“No idea,” Cas replied. “But what do you think about getting out of here and watching the sun rise somewhere?”

“I think,” Dean took a final sip of his soda, “I like where your head is at.”

Cas stood and turned to reach for Dean’s hand as he climbed out of the booth. Taking it, he pulled Cas towards him and wrapped his arm around his waist, letting Cas’ head fall onto his shoulder as they walked out of the restaurant.

Dean walked Cas to the driver’s side of his Prius, opening the door for him as Cas disengaged the locks. Dean brought his hand up to caress Castiel’s face as he said, “Know anywhere good we can watch the sun rise?”

Cas leaned his cheek into Dean’s caress and said, “Actually I do. Follow me home.”

Dean nodded, “Alright,” and left a featherlight kiss on Cas’ lips before turning to his own car.

*********************************

When they arrived at the condo building, Cas and Dean entered the elevator and Cas pushed the button for the top floor. Dean whistled out loud and said, “Penthouse?”

Cas shook his head and held his finger to his lips, signaling Dean to be quiet. Dean raised a questioning eyebrow but closed his mouth. When the elevator stopped, he followed Cas to the end of the hall where he used a key fob to open the door. Behind it, they climbed two flights of stairs before coming to another door. No fob was necessary for this one and when Castiel opened the door he stepped to the side to let Dean pass before pulling his wallet out and sliding it between the door and the jamb to keep it from locking behind them.

Castiel took Dean’s hand and walked him around the access door area, facing east. Dean gasped at the twinkling lights of the city skyline, and the faint glow in the distance that was the sun beginning its journey for the day. Cas led him towards a simple bench seat that looked like it once belonged to a picnic table set and sat, pulling him down to sit next to him.

“Welcome to my secret place, Dean.”

“It’s wonderful, Castiel. It almost feels like you could spread your wings and fly into that sunrise.” Dean heard him suck in a quick breath and turned to look at him. 

Cas was looking at him in surprise and whispered, “I can’t believe you just said that.”

“Why? Up here you’re with the birds and everything else just seems small and insignificant,” Dean said.

Castiel turned his back to Dean and looked at him over his shoulder. “Just pull up my shirt and look. Please.”

Dean gently pulled the black Rougarou polo out of Cas’ waistband and pulled it up by the hem. _Wings_. Across the small of Castiel’s back was a pair of angel wings in full extension. Dean softly ran his finger along the outline of the angel halo in between each wing. He didn’t know who Cas’ artist was but it was the most exquisite bodywork he’d ever seen, and it suited Cas. 

Planting a soft kiss on Castiel’s back, he pulled the shirt back down and said, “It’s beautiful.”

“After Fergus, I wanted to fly away,” Cas began. “I would come up here every night after work and cry, asking God what I’d done wrong for him to forsake me. Fergus, not God. Was I not attractive enough? Attentive enough to his needs? Was there something he needed that I just couldn’t give him?”

Dean’s heart shattered hearing Castiel’s voice so small and he ached to have five minutes alone with this Fergus to inflict some of the pain on him that had destroyed this beautiful man so thoroughly. He scooted closer to Cas so their legs were touching and began to rub his back.

Cas continued, “Once I had no more tears each day I would look up at the stars, trying to find hope somewhere in their shine. Sometimes I would be so exhausted from it all that I would fall asleep on this bench until the sun burned my eyes open. Then I started hearing the birds singing their morning song just before the sun began to rise and I would listen. I would listen so hard Dean, trying to hear what made them so happy. I was so sad and I didn’t want to be sad anymore.”

“I started bringing birdseed up here just to bring them closer to me. One morning I thought of that prayer from Forrest Gump. ‘Make me a bird so I can fly far, far away from here.’ I told my brother that I wish I had wings and on my next day off, he took me to his tattoo artist and told him I wanted wings. The original design was a full back piece of a set of wings at rest on my back. But I didn’t want to stay on the ground, I wanted to fly. So they worked up a new design for me and what you saw is the finished piece. Two weeks of 4-hour sessions and a month’s worth of tips.” Cas took a deep breath and stared at the sunrise on the horizon.

“I guess that would’ve been what therapists would say was the first step in my healing. Fergus stole something from me, something vital that helped me to fly. I’d taken it back in my own way. I still came up here after work to be with the birds, but I wasn’t so anxious to fly into the sunrise with them. I still looked at the stars but I started counting my blessings on them. My siblings, there’s a whole horde of us by the way, I should warn you about that. Jody, Jo… almost every blessing had a name and I don’t think I would’ve continued living my life without them.”

Castiel looked over into Dean’s shining eyes and said, “I guess I’m telling you this because you’re one of my stars now. You make me feel like I really could fly, but I don’t want to fly away from you. With you… it sounds silly but the ground doesn’t seem like such a bad place to be.”

_Endlessly_ , Dean remembered. _It fits_. He stood and reached out his hands to Castiel, pulling him into his arms when he stood. He wrapped Castiel’s arms around his neck and wrapped his own around Cas’ waist. “Dance with me Castiel.”

Cas let his head rest on Dean’s shoulder as they swayed together while the sun woke up the world around them. Dean lightly kissed his temple and begun to sing softly.

_“There’s no guarantee that this will be easy. It’s not a miracle you need, believe me. Now I’m no angel, I’m just me. But I will love you endlessly. Wings aren’t what you need. You need me…”_

Dean’s voice tapered off as he felt Castiel’s tears bleed through his shirt. Knowing he was crying was like a thousand knives stabbing him in the heart, but Dean just held him tighter and let him cry it out. He felt when Cas’ legs started to give out so he slid down to the ground and pulled Cas into his lap, holding him like a child. He rocked him and dropped gentle kisses into his hair until he felt Cas’ body start to relax against him and his breath to come more evenly.

Castiel felt so ashamed, breaking down that way in front of Dean. On their first date! What kind of ninny does that? One minute he was telling Dean about his secret place and the next, the man was singing his favorite song to him, taking a sledgehammer to all the walls Cas had put up to protect his heart. Gabriel was right. _I’m falling in love with you, Dean Winchester._ It was just his bad luck that Dean probably wouldn’t stick around after this.

Sitting up, he wiped his eyes on the hem of his shirt and looked up into Dean’s eyes. So green, like freshly mowed grass after a rainstorm. The sun’s rays hit his eyes so beautifully, bringing out gold flecks that Cas hadn’t noticed in man-made light. But the look in his eyes wasn’t one of pity, as Cas had expected. It was attentive, focused and unwavering. _Wings aren’t what you need…_

Cas stood up and brushed the roof gravel off his pants while Dean watched him, then slowly stood up and did the same. Before Castiel could say anything, Dean’s hands were on his shoulders turning him towards the rising sun.

From behind, Dean leaned down to Cas’ ear and whispered, “You can still fly if you want to Castiel. No one’s taken that away from you. Not Fergus. Not me. Not even you. But just remember that even angels don’t rely on their wings. It’s their Grace that carries them.”

Leaning back against Dean’s strong chest, Castiel watched the sun rise higher in the sky. Grace. He would work on it. For himself, and for Dean.

Turning in Dean’s arms and dropping a kiss on his cheek, Cas said, “You’re a good man, Dean Winchester.”

Dean grinned down at him. “Don’t let that rumor get around. I’ve got a reputation.”

Cas laughed and grabbed Dean’s hands. “Well since you were kind enough to let me cry all over you this morning, how about I treat you to some coffee?”

_Coffee_. The word was like a song in his heart. “How about you do that then,” Dean said as he dropped a kiss on Cas’ forehead before taking his hand and following him inside.


	6. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel leaves a lasting first impression on Dean at their first meeting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm WAY late on posting this chapter but life happens, unfortunately. Hopefully you all are continuing to enjoy it! Please leave me comments and feedback as they're very much appreciated!

Castiel released Dean’s hand as he slipped the key into the door of the third floor condo he shared with his brother. Turning to Dean he said, “God willing, Gabriel will be asleep but if he’s not for some reason, I’m apologizing now for the nonsense that’s about to ensue. I accept no responsibility for my brother and will hold no ill will if you run out of here screaming.”

Dean couldn’t help but laugh at the horror that had crossed Cas’ face. He leaned down to give him a quick peck on the lips and replied, “You tolerated my brother for several hours last night. It's only fair I return the favor.”

“Your funeral,” Cas mumbled to himself, as he turned the key and opened the door. His eyes quickly glanced around the unit and he groaned inwardly because it was so much worse than he feared. Gabriel was home but blessedly unconscious. Unfortunately he was also barely dressed, junk partially hanging out of his boxers, spread eagle across the futon in the living room. Cas could only shake his head, “Oh Gabriel…”

Cas turned to Dean and saw him trying valiantly to hold in his laughter. “You were warned,” Cas told him. “Listen, I need you to wait here a minute. Based on the view I’m not completely sure he didn’t bring someone home that isn’t somewhere else in the house. Let me check around to make sure and then I’ll get the coffee started.” Dean snorted out a laugh and nodded before Cas turned and headed for a hallway off to the right.

With Castiel out of sight, Dean thought it was an opportune time for a blackmail photo. He softly stepped forward and pulled out his phone, lining up the shot of Gabriel in all his postcoital dishevelment. There was enough natural light coming into the room so he disengaged the flash and tapped the shutter. He took two steps to the left for a better view of the sad-looking jewels and tapped the shutter again. Satisfied these would be enough to keep Castiel’s brother in line, he walked back over to the kitchen and sat at the table in the breakfast nook.

Cas came back out looking positively adorable, with his feet bare and having swapped out his work polo for a light blue tank top. As Dean watched in appreciation, Cas swiped a throw pillow off the leather recliner and brought it down on his brother’s bare stomach, bringing it up again to smack him headlong in the face with it when Gabriel tried to sit up.

Dean let out a hoot of laughter from the kitchen and mimicked a golf clap in Castiel’s direction. _That’s my man_ , he thought as Cas flashed him a grin and bowed.

“What the HELL, Cas,” Gabe yelled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

Castiel’s eyes flashed at his brother. “Bedrooms are for beds, therefore sleeping. Living rooms are for living, therefore company.”

With a yawn Gabe replied, “I had company. They left.”

“I can see that,” Cas retorted hotly. “You’re paying the cleaning bill for the futon, limp dick.”

Gabe’s head jerked around as Dean tried to muffle a laugh and failed. Grabbing the discarded throw pillow in an attempt to cover himself with it, he repeated, “What the HELL Cas??”

Castiel calmly replied, “This is why you don’t sleep in the living room, moron. Gabriel, Dean Winchester. Dean, this horny waste of space is my brother Gabe.” Looking down at his brother and shaking his head in embarrassment he mumbled, “I need coffee,” and headed for the kitchen.

Gabriel cleared his throat and looked at Dean, “I’d come shake your hand but.. well…”

Dean raised a hand and said, “Under the circumstances I’d prefer you didn’t, not knowing where that hand has been this morning and all.”

As Gabe fixed Dean with a glare, Cas let out a laugh and pressed the power on the grinder. When he dumped the grounds into the coffee filter he said to Gabe, “Either go to bed, IN YOUR ROOM, or go put on some clothes Gabriel. We have company.” 

Keeping the pillow firmly in front of him, Gabe stood up carefully and walked bowlegged out of the room. As Cas set the pot to brew, he turned to Dean and leaned against the counter. “He’ll be back out shortly so be prepared. You took a shot at him, and a damn good one I might add, so this is about to turn into a mild flame war.”

Dean grinned and shrugged, saying, “He doesn’t worry me. I have an ace up my sleeve I can use if necessary.”

Cas walked over to the nook and sat down on the bench seat beside Dean. “And what might that be, pray tell?”

Dean slid his phone over to Cas and said, “Check the photo gallery.”

Cas’ jaw dropped. “Oh Dean, you didn’t!”

“Damn right I did,” he said as Cas swiped his phone to unlock it and started laughing.

Cas slid Dean’s phone back to him and dropped his head onto Dean’s shoulder, shaking with laughter. “He’ll kill you. God, why didn’t I think of that?”

Dean patted Castiel’s head. “I think you were more concerned with a stranger wandering your house at that point in time. Now just sit back and watch the show,” he said as Gabriel wandered back out in denim shorts and a faded Metallica shirt.

Plopping down in the chair across from Dean, he said, “So you’re THE Dean?” As Dean nodded, Gabe continued, “I pictured you scrawnier.”

Cas raised his head from Dean’s shoulder and shot his brother a warning look. “Gabriel…”

Dean put a finger to Cas’ lips, shushing him. “It’s fine.” Looking at Gabriel he said, “And you were basing this on…?”

“Your crappy artwork mostly,” Gabe shrugged. “Even a 3 year old can draw a car.”

Dean narrowed his eyes at Gabriel. “Well, I’d say the fact that you recognized it as a car means it wasn’t that crappy.”

Cas chimed in, “You were also drunk at the time and still recognized what it was, idiot.”

Dean leaned over the table towards Gabe. “Let’s cut the bullshit. You aren’t objecting to what I can do with a pen and a napkin. You’re objecting to what I’m going to do with your brother.”

Gabe met Dean’s glare. “And?”

“And what happens between us is none of your business unless Castiel decides it is. Now do you really want us to be enemies from the jump or would you like to try this again,” Dean asked, reaching his hand across the table.

Gabe looked at the offered hand a moment before clasping his to it. “It’s nice to meet you Dean.”

Dean nodded and released Gabe’s hand. “You too.”

Cas let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding and stood up, walking towards the coffeepot. Shaking his head as pulled down cups he said, “You’re both acting like a couple of she-cats.”

“Am not,” Gabe and Dean said in unison.

“Well at least you agree on something. How do you take your coffee Dean,” Cas asked.

“Black is fine, thanks,” Dean told him.

Cas came back to the table, setting Dean’s coffee down in front of him and returning to his spot next to him, blowing on his own cup to cool it.

Gabe looked offended. “Where’s mine?”

Cas looked at his brother with boredom and replied, “Still in the pot I suspect. You have legs.”

“Prick,” Gabe mumbled as he got up to get his coffee.

“Douche,” Cas stated simply, continuing to blow on his coffee.

Ah brotherly love, Dean thought to himself as he took a sip of his coffee and relaxed into the familiar banter.

**********

While Dean and Gabe bantered about if the best guitarist was Slash or Stevie Ray Vaughn, Cas excused himself to go to the bathroom. He was so tired but didn’t want his time with Dean to end because he was afraid it might all just be a dream. He had passed inspection with Sam and Dean had handled his overprotective brother with grace as far as Cas was concerned. It had all been so easy, so natural. _Was this how it was really supposed to be like_ , Cas wondered, splashing water on his face in a vain attempt to wake himself up.

Patting his face dry with the hem of his shirt, Cas poked his head out of the hallway and watched Dean talking animatedly with Gabe, like the dick-waving prick fight they’d had earlier never happened. Shaking his head, Cas turned and went into his room to check his phone. Sitting on the side of the bed, surprisingly he had no messages so he queued up his music player to Endlessly, setting the repeat. He stretched out on his side, putting his arm under his pillow to support his head and smiled, closing his eyes and hearing Dean’s soft tenor singing the notes in his ear. The last thing he remembered before dropping off to sleep was the sunrise sparkling off the gold flecks of Dean’s eyes.

Dean was the first to notice Cas’ absence. “Castiel,” he called out.

Gabe shook his head at Dean. “This is how you do it champ.” Taking a deep breath and leaning his head back, Dean jumped as he bellowed, “CASSIE!!!!!”

Both men waited but Cas didn’t appear and the only noise was the coffeepot gurgling on the hot plate.

Dean stood and asked Gabe, “May I?”

“Left of the bathroom,” Gabe replied. “If he’s asleep, smack him a couple times with a pillow for me.”

Dean nodded and stepped into the hallway, noting the bathroom was vacant. Making a left he followed the low tinkling of music and smiled when he reached the entrance to Cas’ room, hearing Endlessly playing clearly from the phone on the nightstand and Cas snoring lightly. 

Dean just stood there watching him sleep, finding it harder to breathe when Castiel curled his legs up trying to snuggle deeper into the bed. He let out a soft moan in his sleep and Dean felt like he’d been sucker punched in the gut, knowing he was lost.

Dean heard Gabe come up behind him and turned, putting a finger to his lips.

Gabe looked over Dean’s shoulder and said softly, “Bastard. I owe him one but I don’t have the heart to do it when he looks that damn cute.”

“Yeah,” Dean sighed, looking back at him. Stepping into Cas’ room, Gabe looked on as Dean pulled the quilt from the opposite side of the bed and wrapped it around his brother, running his finger down Cas’ cheek and kissing him softly on the forehead.

Straightening up, he looked down at Castiel’s parted lips and sighed again. _It’s criminal how beautiful you are, Castiel Novak._

Turning, he walked back to where Gabe stood and together they walked down the hall and back into the kitchen. Dean picked up his and Cas’ coffee cups, taking them to the sink and rinsing them out before putting them in the dishwasher. He stepped back as Gabe did the same and leaned back against the sink, looking at Dean.

“Look,” Gabe began. “I hate apologizing but I love my brother dearly so I’m sorry for the way I came at you. If you haven’t heard yet what Fergus did to him, you will soon enough. It left a bad taste in all of our mouths so it’s safe to warn you that you may be facing similar opposition on a larger scale with the rest of us.”

Dean nodded and felt his temper start to rise. “He told me, and he told me what it did to him. From one brother to another, I get it. I give you credit for not taking a swing at me because I probably would have in your position. But I have feelings for Castiel, more than I should at this stage and they scare the ever-loving shit out of me. You owe me nothing but I’m going to ask you for two favors.”

“Alright,” Gabe said. “Shoot.”

“First,” Dean said, “Give me time to explore my feelings for your brother and prove that I’m nothing like Fergus.” Gabe nodded silently so Dean continued, “Secondly, I realize I’m at the back of the line but if you ever get to take a shot at him, at least leave me a piece to beat bloody.”

Gabe thought for a moment before responding, “The first I can grant, at least as far as I’m concerned. You’re going to have an uphill battle with the rest of the clan but, as long as Cas remains happy, I’ll back you every step of the way.”

At Dean’s look of surprise, Gabe said, “I’ve got eyes, Winchester, and I know what I just saw wasn’t just a show for my sake. Your feelings for my brother are real, they run deep and they should damn well scare the crap out of you if you’re the kind of man that deserves him.”

Dean lowered his head and said, “I already know I don’t deserve him Gabe and it’s the fear of losing him once he realizes it that scares me the most.”

“And that,” Gabe said as Dean looked up, “is why I’ll be in your corner when you meet everyone else. But just in case, wear a cup.”

Dean laughed and Gabe continued, “As for Fergus, there’s a lot of us so don’t expect that to happen. But we’ll leave you the pieces, such as they are, so you can burn them and piss on the ashes.”

Dean extended his hand to Gabe and said, “Deal,” as they shared a much friendlier handshake than they had before.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket and checking the time, Dean saw he had 6 missed calls and 2 voicemails from Sam. To Gabe he said, “I should probably go before my brother sends out a search party.”

Seeing the look of sadness cross Dean’s face, Gabriel took a leap of faith. “Stay, please. You said your brother met Cas last night right?”

“Yeah… ,” Dean said slowly.

“If he saw what I did then he probably knows you’re with Cas, wherever it is. How many times did he call,” Gabe asked.

“Six,” Dean replied. “Two voicemails, no texts.”

Gabe chuckled, “Persistent. Call him back and tell him to stop worrying like a little bitch. In fact, if you’re staying tell him to come over for a late dinner tonight. I don’t know about you but Cas and I should pull our resurrection acts around 8:00 so say 10:00? Have him bring you a change of clothes too. I have a pair of sweats that should fit you so you don’t have to sleep in those but you’ll probably want something clean later."

Dean just stared at Gabe wondering where there hell all that had come from. He shook his head to try to make sense of it and just couldn’t get his brain cells to engage.

“Dean,” Gabe put a hand on his shoulder, “You’re obviously just as exhausted as Cas and need sleep. I would never forgive myself if you destroyed that beautiful machine you told me about when I could’ve prevented it. Besides, we both know you don’t want to leave.”

Gabe stepped back and said, “Now call your brother and I’ll go find those sweats.”


	7. Surprise Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabe is up to his trickster ways and throws Cas a curve ball, throwing Dean to the wolves in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, I'm getting the chapter posted on time this week! The next couple of chapters are a little longer than the others I think, with the introduction of new characters and the angst that comes with it. Hope y'all enjoy!

When Castiel opened his eyes, his room was pitch dark and The Cab was still crooning from his phone. _You need me… you need me… you need me…_

Rolling onto his back to stretch he realized someone had put his quilt over him. _Dean_ , he thought as he hugged it to his chest. Cas reached over to his nightstand and fumbled for his phone, feeling a piece of paper stuck to the top of it. He pressed the power button on the side and the display illuminated a green post-it with a checkered cab carefully drawn on it. Cas laughed and wondered if Gabe had bruised Dean’s ego a little when he’d insulted his drawing ability.

Peeling the post-it off gently and sticking it on his nightstand, Cas unlocked his phone and turned off the music player. Checking his texts, he opened a text from his older brother Michael.

“What are we having for dinner? I need to know what wine to bring.”

Cas blinked twice. _What the hell?_

Checking the time at the top of the screen, the display blinked 7:32pm and Cas flipped the quilt to the side and stood up. Unzipping his fly, he let the jeans he’d been wearing for 24 hours drop to the floor and he kicked them to the corner. _Much better_ , he thought to himself as he padded to the bathroom, shutting the door and turning on the light.

With his bladder emptied, he reached behind the shower curtain and turned the water to boiling so it would warm up faster. Cas pulled his tank top over his head and tossed it on the sink, yanking down his boxers and pushing them to the side with his foot. He checked the water, adjusted it and stepped under the spray. While he ran shampoo through his hair, he wondered if Dean was awake yet and if he might want to reschedule their breakfast date for tomorrow morning before he went to work. 

Twenty minutes later Cas opened the bathroom door with a towel wrapped around his waist and headed for the kitchen for a bottle of water. Flipping the light on, he opened the fridge and heard a groan. _Seriously?_ Taking out his water and closing the fridge he walked over to the futon and looked down at Gabe, eyeing the cold bottle. _No_ , he told himself. 

Nudging his brother awake with his knee he said, “What gives, Gabriel? Did you break your bed last night or something?”

Gabe grunted, “Go look for yourself. Company’s coming.”

“I know. Michael texted me about wine. Thanks so much for the warning,” Cas said sarcastically as he headed for Gabe’s room.

He walked into the room, hit the light switch on the wall and froze when he heard a low groan from the bed. _He didn’t…_

Castiel turned and there was Dean, laying on his back diagonally across Gabe’s bed with his arm thrown across his face to block the light, shirtless with a pair of navy blue sweats riding low on his hips. Cas’ mouth watered and itched to kiss every inch of visible bare skin.

“Dean… ,” Cas breathed. He watched Dean’s sleepy green eyes come into view as he dropped his arm and caught sight of Castiel.

Drops of water glistened on his shoulders, dripping from his damp hair, a stray drop zig zagging down the right side of his bare chest to the towel wrapped around his waist. _Now that’s a wake-up call I wouldn’t mind every morning_ , Dean thought.

“Hello gorgeous,” Dean said with a sleepy smile.

Cas swallowed and said, “Well hello yourself. Make yourself at home, did you?”

Dean stretched his arms over his head and replied, “I tried to leave but Gabriel insisted. Something about not wanting my Impala destroyed.”

“Ah yes,” Understanding lighting Cas’ eyes. “That sounds like him.”

Dean rolled off the bed and stood, stretching again, and walked over to Castiel. Putting his left hand on Cas’ hip, he leaned down to plant a kiss on his neck and caught the scent of pine and musk on his skin. Dean nibbled on Cas’ ear and said, “You’re making it very difficult for me to be a gentleman right now, Castiel. You look good enough to gobble up in three bites, but oh how I would savor them.”

Cas let his head fall back and brought his hand up to run his fingers through Dean’s hair, letting out a moan when he felt Dean’s tongue trail from his earlobe down his neck. Kissing his way back up, he wrapped his arms around Cas’ waist and brought his mouth down, capturing Castiel’s lips as their tongues began an already familiar dance with each other. Cas wrapped his arms around Dean’s neck and lightly scraped his short nails along the nape, feeling Dean shiver against him.

Before his mind completely emptied, Cas pulled away reluctantly and took a moment to catch his breath before saying, “We’re having company for dinner so if you want time for a shower, you better beat Gabriel to it.”

“No point until Sam gets here with my clothes,” Dean said.

Cas blinked, “Wait, SAM is coming?”

Dean looked confused. “Yeah, who did you think was coming?”

Castiel growled low in his throat, “I woke up to a text from my eldest brother Michael, asking about bringing wine tonight. Excuse me a minute, Dean.”

Cas swiveled on his heel and stalked out, Dean following closely behind. Cas grabbed his bottle of water from the side table, twisted the cap off and turned it upside down onto his dozing brother.

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!” He jumped off the couch and looked around, his eyes focusing on Castiel. “What the fuck is wrong with you today???”

Cas got in his face and growled, “What did you DO, Gabriel?”

Knowing full well why his brother’s blue eyes were flashing so brightly, Gabe tried to shake the water off of himself and replied, “I invited a few people over for dinner. I suppose I can do that, since it’s still my home too.”

Cas’ eyes got wide as realization dawned. “A few means more than two. I already know about Sam and Michael. Please tell me you didn’t… ”

“Shit,” Gabe said. “What time is it? I gotta shower.”

Cas grabbed the front of his brother’s shirt and yanked him forward. “Who. ELSE?”

Dean remained near the hall, swallowing his arousal while he watched this forceful side of Castiel emerge. The fact that Cas was still clad in only a towel had him fantasizing being in Gabriel’s place, staring down that gorgeous temper. Cas would rip his shirt off in anger, Dean would retort by pulling the towel off, Cas would bend him over the futon and…

Dean bit hit lip hard in an attempt to shake the fantasy out of his head, which was difficult with Cas still spewing fire at his brother. Dean closed his eyes, took some deep breaths and willed himself to calm down, waiting for his hard-on to subside before opening his eyes.

“Jesus Cas, just Luc and Michael.” Gabe took a step back as Cas released his shirt.

The intercom at the door buzzed and Gabe took advantage of the distraction, rushing to the door. “Yeah,” he said into the com.

Sam’s voice crackled through the speaker, “Yeah hi, this is Dean’s brother Sam?”

“Come on up. Third floor,” Gabe said, pressing the entry button.

Heading back towards the shower, Cas grabbed the back of Gabe’s shirt when he tried to pass. “Oh no you don’t. If Sam has fresh clothes for Dean, he has dibs on the shower.”

“Can I at least take a piss,” Gabe asked.

“After you be a gracious host and answer the door,” Cas said as he heard Sam’s knock. Releasing his brother, he said to Dean, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Cas turned the corner of the hall to his room as Gabriel opened the front door. Sam stood there with a brown bag in his left hand and a duffel over his shoulder. His first impression of Gabe was that of a drowned rat. His clothes were dripping as well as his hair, so this was more than just the aftermath of a shower. Sam couldn’t wait to hear the story.

He extended his hand to Gabe and said, “I’m Sam, you must be Gabriel.”

Gabe automatically extended his hand, momentarily forgetting his impromptu bath courtesy of Cas. “One and only. Nice to meet you Sam.” Gabe cringed when he felt the water squish between his hand and Sam’s. He released the poor man’s hand and stepped back from the door. “Mi casa, su casa. Come on in.”

Gabe closed the door behind Sam and grabbed a hand towel from the kitchen counter. “Here you go, sorry about that.”

Sam put the brown bag on the counter and took the towel, drying his hand. Looking up at Dean, he raised a brow and said, “Hey,” stepping forward to hand him the duffel.

Dean met his brother halfway and said, “Hey yourself,” taking the duffel from him.

Gabe excused himself and dashed into the bathroom, Sam and Dean watching as he slammed the door behind him. Dean just shook his head and looked back at Sam.

“So,” Sam said, “Why was he all wet?”

Dean grinned. “He was bad so he had to be punished. Castiel woke him up by dumping a bottle of water on him.”

Sam threw his head back and bellowed out a laugh. “God, Dean, I like your man more and more. That’s priceless!”

Castiel stepped out from the hall and asked, “What’s priceless?”

Dean looked over at him and swallowed his tongue. Castiel was in a well-pressed black button down dress shirt with the collar open, long sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His dark brown hair was mussed, a few stray locks curling this way and that over his forehead. He wore a pair of stonewashed jeans that fit him like a second skin and showcased lean muscle at every turn.

Dean whistled at him, “You look great.”

Cas blushed. “Thanks. So what’s priceless?”

“I was just filling Sam in on Gabriel’s wake-up call for the evening,” Dean said.

Castiel sighed and explained, “My brother is the trickster of the lot so he probably thinks this whole affair is going to be hilarious.”

“You’d be wrong then, brother,” Gabe said as he stepped out of the bathroom. “Dean and I came to an understanding this afternoon and I thought it might be best if the whole thing was done sooner rather than later. Michael and Luc were the only two free on short notice though.”

Sam looked from face to face, totally lost. “Michael and Luc? I’m missing a piece of vital information aren’t I?”

Cas looked at Dean and said, “You just said you told him.”

“I told him about the water,” Dean said. “I hadn’t gotten around to why he deserved it yet.”

“Well go take your shower. Towels are under the sink and the Mitchem deodorant is mine if you need to use it,” Cas said, looking at Sam.

“I brought his kit along with his clothes,” Sam said.

Cas nodded and pushed Dean towards the bathroom. “Go on then. Gabe still has to take his.”

“So bossy,” Dean said, dropping a kiss on Cas’ lips and heading for the bathroom.

“You might want to text Michael and tell him what we’re having so he can pick out his fancy wine,” Cas said to Gabe.

Gabe grinned, “We’re ordering pizza so I think a cold beer would cleanse the palette just fine.”

Cas looked over at Sam and saw a lost puppy look cross his face. “Michael, and Luc, are two of my older brothers and this asshole,” giving Gabe a look, “apparently thought it was a good idea to invite all of you under one roof without consulting me first.”

Sam looked from Gabe to Cas and shrugged. “So Dean has to meet the family. I don’t see the big deal.”

Gabe grinned and said, “THANK you! I don’t get it either!”

“The problem is that I’m the baby boy of the family and every single one of them is overprotective of me since Fergus,” Cas explained. “You missed the cat fight between this one and your brother this morning. Now he’s invited two more in to take their shots at Dean, at the same time.”

Sam looked at Gabe. “You come around to our side or do you still have an issue with Dean?” 

“I’m on the side that makes Cas happy,” Gabe said. “I’m not completely sold but I gave my word to Dean that I would give him a chance to prove he’s not Fergus. So I’ll be standing with Cas tonight, and with you and Dean.”

Sam nodded at him then smiled at Cas. “It’ll be fine then. Dean can hold his own, Cas, and he doesn’t scare easy.”

Cas turned when he heard the bathroom door open and Dean stood there in nothing but a towel. “Shower’s free,” he called out to Gabe, grabbing his duffel and heading for Castiel’s room to dress.

Gabe made a beeline for the shower and Cas stared in the direction of his room a minute before turning back to Sam, who smiled and said, “Don’t get shy on my account.”

Cas shook his head, “No time, unfortunately. Make yourself at home while I order the pizza.” 

He headed to the kitchen for the takeout menu but stopped and sniffed the air. Butter and cinnamon. Spying the brown bag on the counter, he called out to Sam, “What’s this?”

“Homemade snickerdoodles,” Sam called back. “Dean’s favorite.”

“Hmm,” Cas said and filed the information away. He turned and grabbed the menu, reaching into his pocket for his phone. “Damn,” he said when he realized it was on the charger in his room.

“Sam, can I use your phone? Mine’s charging in the other room,” Cas explained.

Sam brought it over to him and, while Cas placed the pizza order, Dean came out in the jeans and green t-shirt Sam had brought for him. Putting his black and white checked button-down on over it, he looked at Cas and said to Sam, “I’ve never felt so underdressed.”

“Sorry,” Sam said. “Type of attire wasn’t specified. At least this way they see the real you right off the bat.”

“This is gonna be a long night, Sammy,” Dean muttered, shaking his head.

Sam lowered his voice and asked, “Is he worth it, being tossed to the wolves this way?”

Dean watched as Castiel looked up at him with those piercing blue eyes, his face lighting up with a smile.

Dean’s heart hammered in his chest and his voice was shaky when he replied, “For that smile? I could be condemned to the pits of hell and would go willingly.”

**********

Dean was sitting on Cas’ bed lacing up his boots when Cas came in and sat by his side. “Where do you think you’re going,” he asked, dropping a kiss on Dean’s shoulder.

“Nowhere without you,” Dean replied. “I’m just trying to look like a responsible adult for your brothers. Being barefoot in your home doesn’t leave the best first impression.”

Cas turned Dean to face him and looked into his clouded green eyes. “You… you’re really worried about this aren’t you?” At Dean’s nod Cas said, “Dean, I’m barefoot and I always walk around barefoot. They’re used to it.”

“It’s your place though. Guests don’t usually walk around barefoot unless it’s one of those shoes off at the door things,” Dean said, pressing his forehead to Castiel’s. “Besides, I feel better having my shitkickers on, just in case.”

Cas leaned in for a kiss, wrapping his arm around Dean’s neck and pulling him in. Dean let his mind empty and lost himself in Castiel’s kiss. Had it really only been two days since they’d met? Just having him near, warm and sweet, made Dean more content than he’d ever been. He wrapped his arms around Cas and they fell back onto the bed together, side by side letting the world disappear around them. Blue and green eyes locked, held, and more was said between them in that moment than all the words in any language could.

“Dean… I… ,” Cas’ voice whispered.

“Castiel,” Dean breathed, knowing he was seeing his future in that deep blue. _I love you. Just say it, you fool._

Dean took a breath but before he could form the words, he heard a throat clear and looked up to see Sam standing at the door. Making a mental note to bruise his brother for it later, he helped Cas into a sitting position as he sat up on the bed. “What is it, Samus Interruptus?”

Sam at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry but the rest of the party is on their way up. I figured you’d rather be caught by me than them.”

“Thanks,” Cas told Sam. “We’ll be right out.”

Cas stood and straightened his shirt while Dean finished tying his boot. Dean sat up and caught sight of the post-it he’d left Cas earlier stuck on his nightstand next to his phone, smiling at his handiwork. _Suck that, Gabe._

Dean snagged Cas’ phone off the stand and swiped it open, tapping the shortcut for the camera. Pulling a surprised Cas down onto his lap, he held the phone in front of them and nuzzled Cas’ neck until he laughed, clicking the shutter and saving their moment of happiness as the first in many Dean hoped were to come. He would look at it and remember the day he fell in love with Castiel Novak, for the rest of his life.

Cuddling Cas to his chest, Dean opened a new message and sent the photo to himself. Locking the phone, he offered it to Cas. “Do you want this?”

Cas took the phone and slid it back onto his nightstand, shaking his head. “The rest of the world will still be there later. Let’s go make my brothers choke on the words they’re about to say, hmm?”

Dean grinned, “I love it when we think alike.”


	8. Too Damn Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean meets Castiel's brothers, and someone doesn't approve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm a week behind on posting, y'all are getting two chapters! This one is one of my favorites in this fic because I love writing conflict and varied personalities. So enjoy some drama, with a happy ending of course!

Dean and Castiel made their way out into the living room as Gabriel opened the front door to reveal the brothers, a sandy-haired brunette about Dean’s height and a taller dark-haired man in a business suit, sans coat. The sandy-haired man grinned and caught Gabe in a bear hug, spinning him as he stepped into the kitchen. The dark-haired man stepped forward primly and closed the door behind him.

Cas felt Dean tense up beside him so he took his hand, squeezing it and giving him a smile. “Whatever they say to you,” Cas told him in a whisper, “remember that you’re my choice, not theirs.” Cas stepped forward to Sam and stood with him and Dean by the breakfast bar.

“Cas,” the sandy-haired man said with love as he approached, engulfing Castiel in the same bear hug he’d given Gabe.

Cas let go of Dean’s hand to give his brother a tight hug. “Luc. I was sure you’d disappeared off the face of the Earth this time.”

Luc stepped back and laughed. “You’re not that lucky little brother.” Glancing over to Dean, he held his hand out and when Dean shook it, he said, “Lucifer, but these peasants I’m related to just call me Luc.”

“Dean Winchester,” Dean said with a raised eyebrow, liking him immediately. “That must play hell on the reputation.”

“I get by,” Luc said. “The whole fire and brimstone thing helps a bit.”

Cas groaned at the old joke and gestured to his opposite side. “Luc, this is Dean’s brother Sam. I’d appreciate it if you could keep from scaring them away with your wit for a night.”

Cas looked over at Dean while Luc shook Sam’s hand. Dean’s green eyes were focused straight ahead and Cas followed his gaze to see Michael’s ice-blue eyes staring right back at Dean. _So it begins_ , Cas thought. _Shit._

Castiel approached his eldest brother, walking into the line of fire to cut Michael off from throwing daggers at Dean, and embraced him. “Hello Michael. It’s good to see you,” Cas said.

Michael gave Dean a final warning look and hugged Castiel. “I’ve missed you, brother. You look happy.”

“I am,” Cas replied, “And it’s because of the man you were just thrusting your sword into with your eyes. Please don’t screw this up for me Michael,” Cas pleaded. “He… he’s different. Give him a chance and you’ll see. For me, please?”

Michael huffed and said, “If he scares that easy then he’s not that different.”

“Dammit Michael,” Cas said angrily, low enough for only him to hear. “Why do you always do that, think the worst of people before you know them?”

“Because most people suck, as a general rule,” Michael replied simply.

“Well Dean isn’t one of them. Now go pretend to be a human being and introduce yourself. Be civil or so help me Michael, I’ll choke you with that Fendi tie you’re wearing,” Cas threatened.

Knowing he hit Michael squarely in his largest point of pride, his unflappable manners, Cas watched as he took a breath and approached Dean.

Gabriel came up beside Cas and said, “Sam and Luc seem to have hit it off.” Cas shifted his eyes and saw Sam doubled up in laughter while Luc was saying something with a grin on his face. “Uh oh,” he heard Gabe say and turned back to where Dean and Michael were nose to nose. Cas could see Dean’s green eyes flash from across the room.

“Dammit Gabriel,” Cas said when he heard Michael’s voice raise. “What would possess you to do this? Get Michael.” Cas and Gabe moved forward at the same time Luc and Sam noticed the problem and headed the same direction.

Gabe reached Michael first and grabbed his arm in a vain attempt to pull him back, but he was an immovable force. Luc put his hand on his shoulder and Michael shook him off easily. Sam stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother, a silent support system should Dean need it.

Cas had to decide between helping his brothers restrain Michael or trying to keep Dean in check. He made a beeline for Dean as Luc and Gabe were finally able to work together to get Michael to step back. “Your time here is temporary, Winchester,” Michael spat. “Don’t get too comfortable.”

As Cas reached Dean’s side, he heard Sam’s voice low and threatening, “That’s not your decision to make, Michael.”

Michael turned his attention to Sam. “My little brother has proven he has bad taste in men so it's only a matter of time before your brother shows his true colors.”

Dean balled his fists and took a step towards Michael, not caring that it was bad form to throw a punch when the opponent was restrained. He was stopped by Cas’ hand locking his bicep in a death grip and his voice softly saying, “Dean.”

He glared across at Michael, with his self-satisfied smirk and perfectly knotted tie, and even knowing how this was probably affecting Cas almost didn’t stop him. Tamping down on his anger, he knew Sam could feel his body vibrating with rage and Dean felt his brother’s body tensing for a fight.

“If you ever speak about Castiel that way again,” Dean told Michael, “you’ll get your wish and be the first to see my true colors.”

As Cas stepped forward, Michael replied, “That’s the problem with your type, Dean. The muscles are attractive at first but when you learn there’s nothing behind them, well, you become a liability.”

Castiel stepped in front of Dean before he could respond and stood face to face with Michael, meeting ice with ice. “Get out of my house, Michael, and consider yourself no longer welcome here.”

Gabe and Luc exchanged a look behind Michael’s back when his tone changed to a flat calm. “You know I’m right about him, Castiel.”

Cas’ eyes glowed and narrowed as he ordered, “GO, Michael, before I give both Winchesters my blessing to give you the thrashing you so richly deserve!”

Giving Cas a pained expression, Michael shot Dean a look that clearly said this wasn’t over, before turning to push past his brothers and storm out of the condo. Cas stood rooted to the floor, staring at the front door and wondering why the man he’d looked up to for so many years couldn’t just let him be happy.

Gabe approached his shattered brother and was filled with so much guilt that he couldn’t breathe. 12 hours ago, he had been Gabe’s ‘Sassy Cas’ again and now his eyes were empty and he’d reverted back to the man who wanted to fly away. There was nothing he could say, no words that were adequate enough to fix this. “Cassie, I’m… God I did this and I’m… I’m so, so sorry. I’ll talk to him and… “

“Don’t,” Cas cut him off. “He made his choice and I made mine,” he said, letting a tear roll down his cheek.

Turning around, he could hear Sam talking softly and trying to calm his brother. Castiel took in the heavy rise and fall of Dean’s chest, the trembling fists still at his side, the tightened jaw and, most painful of all, the fact that Dean was looking anywhere but at him. Michael had succeeded in his goal, but Cas would be damned if his brother’s hateful words were the last ones Dean heard tonight.

“Dean,” Cas said softly. No response. “Dean, please look at me.” He didn’t move.

Cas let another tear fall as he approached and stood directly in front of Dean. Finally those green eyes focused on him and blinked, as if waking from a dream. The look in those eyes broke Cas’ heart into a million pieces, the knowledge that he’d lost the man he’d just fallen in love with ripped his soul to shreds. He nodded his thanks to Sam as he quietly moved away to stand with Gabe and Luc.

“Dean,” Cas began, wiping the tears from his face. “I… I need you to know that if I even remotely thought Michael was capable of that much hate, I wouldn’t have brought you anywhere near him. Michael sees himself as a protector and he’s always been suspicious of someone new… ” Cas stopped himself, shaking his head. “No, I won’t defend him. Regardless of the reasons, he’s a cold-hearted bastard but this is a new low even for him.”

Cas didn’t know if his words were getting through so took Dean’s face in his hands and kissed him gently. “I’m so sorry, for this whole mess, but I’m not sorry I met you. I’ll get out of your way so you can go but you need to know… you gave me the thing I’d been missing in order to fly. You gave me my Grace.” Cas leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “I love you, Dean Winchester.” With that, he took a last look at the man that could’ve been his future and walked out of the room, tears streaming down his face.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, he stumbled in the dark to sit on the side of his bed. Even through tears he reached for his phone out of habit. Swiping it open, his screen was filled with the photo Dean had taken of them just a short time ago. Dean’s face buried in his neck, looking mischievously into the camera while Cas’ mouth was open in laughter, leaning into Dean’s arms.

Cas got up and slowly paced his room, not taking his eyes of the photo. “Oh Dean,” he said to the picture. “What just happened?” He stopped on the opposite side of his bed, leaned back and slid down the wall. Curling his knees up to his chest, he stared at Dean’s face until he could no longer see through the pain. He threw his phone onto the bed, wrapped his arms around his knees and mourned what could’ve been.

**********

In the living room, all but Dean watched Castiel leave the room until they heard his bedroom door click behind him. Then three pairs of eyes turned their focus on Dean. He was still as a statue, eyes focused on the floor. The silence was deafening as Gabe, Luc and Sam all exchanged looks. They all jumped when the buzzer at the door went off. Gabe went to accept the pizza delivery while both Luc and Sam approached Dean carefully.

Sam was worried. He’d never seen Dean like this, in a daze he couldn’t be snapped out of. He lightly shook his brother and firmly said, “Dean!” Dean’s eyes came up and slowly turned to look at Sam. _Finally_.

“Dean, what is it? What happened,” Sam asked. Dean just stared at him, not even blinking. Luc snapped his fingers in front of Dean’s face and got no response.

Gabe had been standing back watching, wanting to go to Cas and comfort him, when he had an idea. “Enough of this,” he said out loud. Taking a trick out of Castiel’s book, Gabe poured a cold bottle of water into a wide-mouthed cup. Approaching Dean he said, “Stand back,” to Sam and his brother. Gabe jerked the cup up and splashed the water directly into Dean’s face, stepping back in case he came out of it swinging.

That did it. Dean jerked his head around to look at Gabe in surprise. He shook his head, spraying drops of water everywhere and ran his hands down his face to wipe off the excess water. He took off his flannel and used it to dry himself as best as he could then looked up at the men.

“There you are,” Gabe said to him.

Sam stepped forward and engulfed Dean into a hug. “Jesus Christ Dean, what the hell happened? You scared ten years off of me.”

Dean patted Sam on the back and pulled away. “I’m fine Sammy, Really. Sorry I scared you.”

Luc looked him up and down. “You scared all of us. We couldn’t get through to you. It was like you were in a coma with your eyes open.” 

Dean closed his eyes and explained, “I went somewhere else. I would’ve killed him. I had to put my mind in a better place or I would’ve killed him.” Dean opened his eyes and looked at Sam. “You know how I get. Everything was red. The things he was saying…”

Dean looked around frantically. “Where’s Castiel?

“He’s in his room,” Gabe said gently. “He thought you were going to leave because of Michael and you didn’t respond to him either. Dean… I’m so very sorry for this. If I had any idea Michael would react the way he did… “

Dean tuned out Gabe’s voice and heard Castiel whisper, _I love you Dean Winchester_.

“What did he say to me,” Dean asked Gabe. “When I wasn’t responding, what was he saying?”

“We don’t know,” Sam told him. “He was talking only to you and we were standing back there.”

In his mind, Dean had been with Cas and Cas was speaking to him. _You gave me my Grace. I love you Dean Winchester._

Luc came up to him so they were nose-to-nose. “Are you leaving him because of Michael’s bullshit?”

Dean blinked in surprise and shook his head. “No. No, God no.”

Luc lowered his voice to threatening, “Then why are you standing out here?”

_Castiel_. Dean shoved Luc back a step. “Because you’re in my way.”

_I love you Dean Winchester._ Dean broke into a run for Cas’ room.

**********

When Dean approached Cas’ closed bedroom door, there was no light coming from underneath. Maybe he’d fallen to sleep, but that didn’t deter him. Cas thought Dean would leave him, over a pencil pusher in a designer suit that just happened to be his brother? _Not on your life, Chuckles._ Even if Dean had to spend every day for the rest of his life facing down that pompous asshole, he was GOING to be with Castiel.

Pushing the door open quietly, Dean heard Cas’ loud sobbing echo in the dark room interspersed with whimpers of his name. _Oh God, what have I done to him?_ Looking around, Dean noted the bed was empty so where was he? Closing the door behind him, his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he saw Castiel’s sobbing form on the floor.

Dean rounded the bed and dropped to his knees in front of Cas. His cries were so consuming that he didn’t even realize Dean was there, even as he called out for him. When Dean had reverted into the darkness of his mind to keep from doing something unforgivable, Castiel had been his light bringing him back with words of love. Hopefully Cas would let him do the same for him. Crawling on his hands and knees around Cas’ shaking body, Dean leaned towards his ear. “I love you Castiel Novak.”

Cas raised his head and gasped. “Dean?” He brought his hand up to rub over the rough shadow on Dean’s face, afraid to believe he was really there. 

Dean turned his head and kissed Cas’ palm softly. “I love you Castiel.”

Castiel threw his arms around Dean’s neck and started sobbing all over again. “Dean… oh God Dean… I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m so sorry… “

Dean held him tight and cried with him. “Shh, Castiel I’m here. Shh, it’s ok. I love you so damn much. Honey, shh, I’m right here.” But he understood. Dean’s tears fell faster and he held Cas tighter. _That was too damn close._

They stayed wrapped together on the floor until the fears of losing each other had cried themselves out. Rocking back and forth, Dean cuddled Castiel close and told him, “You were still with me you know.”

Cas looked up at Dean and said, “Hmm? I was still with you when?”

“When I.. mentally checked out we’ll say. You were there,” Dean said. “I have a temper, I suppose you probably already noticed that. Most of the time it’s not as bad as it comes across but there are certain things that set it off more than others. I’ve worked hard to learn how to control it and it takes a lot of pushing the right buttons for me to lose that control. Michael punched them all plus one I didn’t know I had. You.”

“Dean I’m… ,” Cas began but Dean shushed him.

“You don’t understand. It was a good thing. When he demeaned you that way and I went for him without hesitating, it drove home what I already knew but was too scared to say so soon.” Looking down at Cas with his heart in his eyes, he said, “I’m in love with you, Castiel Novak. I’m completely in love with you and I don’t care who knows it or what they have to say about it.”

Cas sighed, “You heard me, when you went to your happy place.”

“Oh Castiel,” Dean said, “it was so much more than that. Sweetheart, YOU were my happy place. You were just there and I couldn’t stop looking at you. Your eyes, the lines of your face, your smile. If we were somewhere specific I didn’t notice and didn’t care. You being there was all I needed to stay calm and happy. Then you were talking. Your lips weren’t moving so it felt more like telepathy but I heard you. You told me I gave you Grace. You told me you loved me. Then there was nothing until Gabe hit me with water.”

“I love you, Dean Winchester,” Cas whispered.

Dean cupped Castiel’s face in his hands and kissed him softly. “I love you Castiel. My happy place will always be wherever you are.”


	9. Early Morning Adventures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone hates Monday mornings, but Dean and Castiel make the best of it.

Dean’s alarm woke him at 4:45am Monday morning and he felt Castiel stir behind him, cotton boxers brushing against his thigh, when he reached forward to hit the snooze button. After their reconciliation last night, they had wandered out to kitchen for their share of the pizza and hung out with Luc, Sam and Gabe while they ate. Afterwards, they’d returned to Cas’ bedroom and cuddled up on the bed, talking late into the night until they’d fallen asleep.

Dean rolled over and wrapped himself around Cas’ warmth, feeling his heartbeat through his bare chest, snuggling back into the pillow and letting himself drift off again. Precisely nine minutes later, his alarm frantically reminded him it was time to be a responsible adult again. While he would normally snooze the alarm a few more times, he didn’t want to risk waking Cas so he turned the alarm off and headed for the bathroom.

Tiptoeing back into the bedroom, Dean dressed in the previous night’s clothes and sat on the edge of the bed to slip on his socks and shoes. Why hadn’t he thought to ask Sam to bring his work clothes last night? He could’ve stayed content in Cas’ arms at least another hour if he had.

Dean was leaning down to tie his boot when he felt a tug on his shirt and turned to see Cas looking at him, adorably sleepy eyed and mussed. “What time is it,” Castiel asked him.

Dean leaned over the bed and softly kissed him. “The birds aren’t even awake yet cutie. I have to head home to get ready for work. Go back to sleep.”

“Mmmm,” Cas moaned as he hooked his arm around Dean’s neck and pulled Dean’s mouth back to his. “Five more minutes.”

Shifting his body to climb back on the bed, Dean let Cas pull him down into his arms. Cas threw his leg over Dean’s and used his calf strength to pull him closer as his tongue invaded Dean’s mouth, savoring the flavor of spearmint and man.

Cas ran his fingers down the front of Dean’s shirt and lifted the hem above his abdomen, grazing his fingers up and down Dean’s bronzed skin as he arched his hips against him.

Sucking in a breath Dean said, “I can’t Cas… ,” but he tilted his head to the side with a moan as Cas kissed and licked his way down Dean’s neck. Cas planted a bite at the nape of Dean’s neck as he reached down and began unbuttoning his fly. 

“Five more minutes,” Cas said breathlessly as he slid his hand below the denim and ran the palm of his hand along Dean’s length, running his thumb along the head as Dean let out a throaty groan and felt his underwear dampen.

“Castiel,” Dean groaned. “Ah… fuck… God and Christ Cas… “ Kicking his boots off, Dean pulled Cas by the hair, biting down on his bottom lip before thrusting his tongue between Cas’ sweet lips to claim his mouth.

“God Dean I want you so much,” Cas moaned into his mouth as Dean reached behind him to grab his ass firmly, rolling them so Cas was straddled on top of him. 

Laying back on the pillow Dean put his arms under his head and looked up at Cas with a mischievous smirk. “What would you like to do with your five minutes, hmm?”

Cas looked down at Dean and licked his lips, letting out a “hmm” of his own. Planting a kiss on Dean’s nose, Cas pushed his weight backwards, sliding his body down Dean’s until his feet touched the floor. Pulling on the denim, Cas said, “Up,” and slid Dean’s jeans down his legs, tossing them to the side. Still standing, Cas ran his nails slowly up Dean’s legs and pulled on the hem of his boxer briefs until Dean arched up again. 

Letting them drop to the floor, Cas crawled onto the bed between Dean’s legs and rested his hands on Dean’s thighs. “What I’m going to do,” Cas said as he kissed Dean’s left thigh, “is wipe that cocky smirk off your face,” Kissing Dean’s right thigh, he raked his nails down his legs,

As Cas brought his hands back up Dean’s inner thighs, Dean smiled at him and said, “You’re welcome to try but that may be an effort in futility. I’m a pretty cocky son of a bitch.”

Cas’ eyes looked up into Dean’s as he lowered his head and wrapped his lips around Dean’s thick cock, sucking it all the way into his mouth until he felt the pressure of the tip on the back of his throat and Dean’s slick pre-ejaculate slide down his throat.

When he felt the damp warmth of Castiel’s mouth close around him, Dean’s head jerked back with a groan and his eyes crossed. “ _Yahtzee_. Oh FUCK Cas.” Reaching down to bury both hands in Cas’ hair, he watched as Cas milked his hard on. When he felt Cas scrape a fingernail lightly down his perineum he bucked his hips up, shoving his cock deeper into Cas’ mouth.

“My God Castiel…. Oh Jesus yes… that mouth…. ,” Dean moaned, gripping Cas’ hair and holding him steady.

Cas ran his tongue along Dean’s shaft as he moved his head up and down, feeling the blood pulse through Dean’s cock. Cas’ lips hummed against the sensitive skin and he felt Dean shudder as he groaned and arched again. Taking Dean’s cock out of his mouth, he licked the back of the shaft down the vein to his testicles.

Dean whined when Cas’ pulled his cock out of his mouth, then lost his breath when he felt Cas’ tongue trace down the shaft. He felt a gentle tug on his testicles and then Cas’ tongue was circling his tight hole.

Dean growled low in his throat, “Cas… No…. oh God fuck… don’t….”

Cas immediately stopped and lifted his head, confusion and hurt in his voice. “You… this isn’t want you want?”

“No, I mean yes I… ,” Dean’s brain couldn’t function for shit being this close to orgasm from Castiel’s tongue. _Jesus, where did he learn to do that?_ He pushed himself up and slid forward on the bed, forcing Cas to slide backwards onto his knees on the floor. Sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs on either side of Cas, Dean put his hand on the back of Cas’ neck and yanked him to his lips. Ravaging Cas’ mouth, he reached down and slid his palm under the waistband of Cas’ boxers, wrapping his hand around his thick hardness.

“I want to taste you Castiel,” Dean breathed. “I want to hear you crying my name.”

“God yes… please… ,” Cas said. “Yes, Dean… yes.”

Dean looked into the cloudy blue of Cas’ eyes and said, “And then I want to fill you up and make you mine.” As Cas gasped, Dean stood and pulled Castiel to his feet, dropping a gentle kiss on Cas’ forehead, his cheek, his lips, his chin, the pulse point on his neck. Moving downward Dean left a trail of kisses across Cas’ chest, stopping only to nip and suck on Cas’ nipples until he moaned.

“Please… Dean… “

Cas’ hands ran down Dean’s back to grab the hem of his shirt, pulling upward until Dean raised his arms. Dean felt the protection amulet he wore drop back against his chest as Cas dropped his shirt to the floor, bringing his hands back up to rake his nails down Dean’s spine. Dean shivered and groaned. _He’s never clipping those nails again._

Dean slid down Cas’ firm chest until he was on his knees on the floor in front of Cas. Slipping his fingers under the waistband of his boxers, Dean pulled the fabric down over Cas’ athletic thighs and let them drop to the floor. He brought his face forward and, reaching behind to grab Castiel’s ass with both hands, slowly licked the throbbing shaft in one stripe from hilt to head.

Hearing Castiel start to pant, Dean raised his eyes to watch him as he wrapped his lips around Cas’ cock and began to suck.

Cas grabbed onto Dean’s shoulders and cried out, “Fucking hell, Dean…” Cas watched Dean’s head bob up and down, stopping only to nip gently at the head of his cock before taking all of it into his mouth again. Dean’s hand came around to grip his cock at the hilt, using both hand and mouth to push Cas closer to his limit.

“DEAN… Yes, fuck, suck me…” Cas exclaimed and he grabbed a fistful of Dean’s hair.

Feeling Cas’ cock throbbing harder and faster, Dean slowed the motions of his mouth and dropped his hand to Cas’ testicles, gently massaging them. “Easy there beautiful,” Dean said as he reluctantly pulled his mouth away and stood up. Looking into Cas’ eyes he whispered, “Wait for me so we can fly away together.”

Cas sighed and took Dean’s hands, kissing him gently. As they kissed, Dean shifted his weight and reversed their positions so Cas’ back was to the bed. Wrapping his arms around Cas and putting his knee on the bed for leverage, Dean lowered Cas to the sheets and partially covered him with his own body. Dean rubbed his palm over Castiel’s skin, along his waist, feeling the muscles of Cas’ abdomen dance in pleasure.

“Let me have you, Castiel,” Dean whispered, suddenly unsure. “Please say I can make you mine. I need you… so much.”

Falling into the sea of green that was Dean’s eyes, seeing them fogged with hesitance and concern, Cas kissed him softly and choked out, “Dean… please take me. I want to be yours. I want you.” To prove it, Cas shifted further up the bed and reached over to his nightstand, pulling a small bottle of lube and a condom out of the drawer, handing them to Dean and moaning, “I want you inside me Dean Winchester.”

Dean captured Cas’ mouth in a passionate kiss before saying, “Lay down for me Castiel.” Cas laid back onto the pillow and Dean ran his fingertips down Cas’ chest, over his waist, gently grazing down the shaft of his cock and over the skin of his testicles. 

Cas’ closed his eyes, his breathing becoming more shallow the lower Dean’s fingers roamed and he sighed out a moan feeling the soft touch on his dick. When he felt Dean’s fingers rub over his perineum, Cas let out a gasp and arched his pelvis into the touch. 

When he heard the click of the lube bottle, Cas started to pant impatiently. Then he felt Dean’s damp finger gently press against him and arched into the touch with a groan. “Oh… more… Dean…”

Dean squirted a little more lube on his finger and massaged it into the skin around Cas’ already puckering hole, pushing the tip of his finger past the tight outer edge. Gently applying pressure, Dean moved his finger in and out slowly, a little deeper with each push. Cas whimpered and arched, writhed and moaned Dean’s name, with each new thrust of his finger. Dean thought it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

Dean watched Cas reach down and wrap his hand around his twitching cock, squeezing it gently up and down. Dean reached up and put his hand on top of Cas’ and stilled the motion. “Wait for me, Castiel. Together.” Cas let out a pitiful mewl but obeyed and dropped his hand.

Dean squeezed more lube onto his index finger and gently pushed it into Castiel’s tight hole. Slowly he pushed it deeper as Cas dug his fingers into the bed sheets, arching up. “Dean… dammit Dean… more. Deeper… Fuck.”

Sliding his finger back out of Cas, Dean added lube to his middle finger and gently pushed them both into Castiel’s ass, watching Cas’ face for any sign of discomfort. Cas’ blue eyes disappeared as they rolled back, mouth open moaning Dean’s name, arching into Dean’s hand for more. Dean continued to slide his fingers deeper and began to thrust them in and out, until he felt Cas’ tight ass start to loosen. Dean pushed his fingers all the way in until they connected with the prostate and Cas yelled out.

“OH FUCK, God Dean yes!” Cas squirmed and dipped his pelvis into Dean’s hand, rocking back and forth with the thrusts. He cried out, “Please Dean… God please… now… fuck me now… “

Dean pulled his fingers out of Cas and ripped open the condom packaging with his teeth, pulling it out and covering himself to the hilt. Squeezing some lube into his palm he wrapped his hand around his cock and stroked up and down twice before rubbing the remaining lube onto Cas’ waiting ass hole.

Cas whimpered as he watched Dean position himself between his legs. “God I need you inside me Dean.”

Dean knelt between Cas’ legs and lifted them into the air, letting them rest against his body. Dean reached down and positioned himself at Cas’ entrance, thrusting a finger inside it once, twice, three times, watching Castiel writhe beneath him and feeling the muscles in his legs tense on his shoulders. Dean removed his finger and applied pressure to the entry with the head of his cock.

“Open your eyes Castiel,” Dean ordered. When Cas complied Dean said, “Stay with me. I want to see your climax in your eyes. I want you to see the pleasure in mine. Fly with me Castiel, and don’t look down.” 

With that, Dean pushed his cock into Cas as they let out twin moans of pleasure. Dean thrusted himself in and out as Cas reached up and grabbed Dean’s biceps, digging his nails into the hard muscle.

“God Dean,” Cas groaned as he felt his insides slowly start to liquify and heat to boiling. Keeping his eyes on Dean’s he breathed, “Please. Deeper. You won’t hurt me.”

“Jesus fuck, Cas you feel so perfect,” Dean grunted out. Hearing Castiel moan in ecstasy for him was like mana from Heaven and Dean felt Cas tighten around him when, on the next thrust, Dean hammered his cock inside him to the hilt. 

Cas arched into the thrust and raked his fingernails down Dean’s chest roughly, feeling his amulet bounce against his hands. “Oh.. Dean harder… yes I want to come for you. Oh fuck YES,” Cas’ voice echoed in the room with the sounds of skin slapping together as Dean grabbed Cas’ ankles and pounded into him.

They watched each other climb closer to the brink, Dean groaning Cas’ name as he buried himself deep in Cas over and over. “Ungh… Touch yourself Castiel… Come with me… Fuck… ,” Dean gasped out.

Cas grabbed his dick and started pumping himself, feeling Dean start to tremble and watching his eyes glaze over. “Dean… fuck Dean don’t stop… oh God faster… Fuck I’m gonna come!” Cas lifted his hips and cried out as Dean slammed into him. Cas felt every neuron in his body short circuit when he came all over himself, pumping his hips to meet Dean’s thrusts and letting his orgasm swallow him whole.

Dean felt Cas tighten around him and watched as his whole body was wracked with the tremors of his climax. As Dean looked into those blue lust-filled eyes, he buried himself into Cas’ sweet vibrating tightness hard and fast. “Goddamn… I’m coming Castiel,” he groaned out as his orgasm exploded inside him, reducing him to a perfect mess and sending him careening headfirst into the sun.

Cas brought his legs down to rest knees up on the bed as Dean slumped forward, placing his hands on either side of Cas to support his weight. Still watching each other, Dean and Cas were breathing heavily and trembling, shuddering occasionally. Cas could feel Dean’s cock still pulsing inside him as it softened and felt a shock go straight to his loins every time it throbbed.

Feeling the extra tremors Cas was experiencing, Dean planted a kiss on Cas’ chest and pushed himself up. Holding the base of the condom, Dean backed himself out of Cas gently and stood, removing it and tying a knot at the end. He tossed it in the trash can by the door and leaned over the bed, kissing Castiel. “Be right back,” he said, opening the door and heading for the bathroom.

Cas was floating. No that wasn’t right, he was flying. His sight was out of focus, he felt like he was on a Tilt-A-Whirl. His whole body was a puddle on the sheets and still trembling from the orgasm that had consumed him. This must be Heaven, he thought.

Dean came back in with a warm cloth and closed the door behind him. The soft glow of the sunrise came into the room through the slits in the blinds behind the bed and Dean could see Castiel’s gaze on his through sleepy, lust-blown eyes. Cas’ chest rose and fell with deep breaths, still coming down from his climax, and letting out a quiet moan when his body shook.

Dean sat down on the edge of the bed and gently wiped the drying ejaculate off Cas’ abdomen and chest. He tossed the cloth into the corner near the hamper and laid down on his side, putting his head on Cas’ chest and wrapping his arm around Cas’ stomach. Hearing the rapid staccato of Castiel’s heartbeat, Dean was overwhelmed with love and sighed, closing his eyes. _This is home._

“Dean,” Cas breathed, wrapping his arm around Dean’s shoulders and running his fingers across their strong lines.

Dean opened his eyes and looked up. “Hmm?”

“Do you believe in God,” Cas asked.

Dean replied softly, “I believe there’s too much beauty in the world for it to not have been created by someone out of love. A book out there says it was God so I take it on faith that it was.”

Cas chuckled, “You could’ve just said yes.”

“What fun would that be,” Dean said with a smile and planted a kiss on Cas’ chest. “Why do you ask?”

Castiel sighed and replied, “I think I just saw Him. He was pleased.”

Dean doubled over Cas’ chest in laughter then tilted his head and saw Cas’ silly grin.

“I love the hell out of you, Castiel Novak.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first non-hetero smut scene I ever wrote so please be kind. My muse helped me out a LOT during the writing of this and I couldn't have gotten through it without her.


	10. Just Another Monday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean heads back to work and Cas gets in touch with an old friend,

After weighing his options, Dean decided to call the body shop to let them know he’d be late once he was on the way home to change. He’d probably stayed with Cas longer than wise but it had felt like losing a limb when he carefully slid out of Castiel’s sleeping arms, once again, to get dressed to leave. He’d hated leaving without kissing Cas goodbye but he needed his rest.

Dean tossed his duffel bag into the backseat of the Impala and checked the time on his phone as he climbed into the driver’s seat. _Damn it._ 6:42am. He had 18 minutes to get to work and it would take at least ten just to get home. He decided to call the shop before starting the car so his excuse of oversleeping would be more believable. Dean leaned back in the bucket seat and closed his eyes as he placed the call.

“Ketch’s Auto Body and Collision, this is Arthur.”

Dean groaned inwardly. What the hell was the owner doing there so early? This wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Hi Arthur, this is Dean Winchester. I overslept my alarm so I’m running about 30 minutes behind but I’ll be there soon. I’m really sorry.”

Arthur was quiet for a moment and then, “This is the second time in a month, Winchester. See me in my office when you arrive, please.”

“Yes sir,” Dean replied and ended the call. “Prick.”

Dean pulled out of the lot and headed home on autopilot, thinking of the events of the last few days. He’d never placed much stock in Fate before but every other place with karaoke had “Angel With A Shotgun” in their selection. It was the only song he’d ever performed in front of people, until Friday night. He’d only heard “Endlessly” a handful of times and even then it was only because the songs were on the same album, so he had no idea what had possessed him to choose to perform it.

Would Cas have noticed him if he’d been just another singer on a busy Friday night? Would he have noticed Castiel if he’d just let a server bring him his whiskey and not gone onstage? For that matter, what had him stopping at Rougarou in the first place? Dean’s normal Friday night stop was Roadhouse to shoot the shit with Garth and peruse the eye candy. He’d driven by Rougarou more times than he could count so why was that night the night he’d decided to check it out?

Pulling into the driveway, he parked behind Sam’s Charger and grabbed his overnight duffel, making quick work of unlocking the front door and slamming it behind him. Sam stepped out of the kitchen, still sweating from his morning run.

“Hey,” Sam said. “How was your night?”

“Late,” Dean said, taking the steps two at a time and dashing into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and ran into his room, dropping the duffel at the door and rummaging through the basket of clean clothes for his work uniform. Finding one of his shirts, he went to the closet and yanked a pair of black khaki’s off the hanger. Tossing them on the unmade bed, he grabbed his work boots from the corner and a pair of black socks from his bureau and dropped them on the floor by the bed. He kicked off his boots into the corner and shucked the rest of his clothes with lightning speed, jetting into the bathroom.

Dean showered and dressed in record time, bounding down the stairs he yelled, “LATER BITCH,” to his brother and was out the door. He burned rubber backing out of the driveway and Baby’s tires squealed in protest as Dean yanked the wheel around and headed for the shop.

**********

Eight minutes later, he was walking through the employee door at Ketch’s and punching his time card. 7:19am. Dean cringed and tossed a wave to his co-worker Robert, who was currently going at a nasty fender dent with a mallet, before heading into the air-conditioned manager offices. Ketch’s door was closed so he knocked and waited to be hailed inside. Arthur Ketch was a pompous, self-righteous fuckwit who’d inherited the shop from his daddy and, since he’d taken over 14 months ago, hadn’t done a single thing to earn Dean’s respect. But the man signed his paychecks, which earned him quiet tolerance most of the time.

“Come in,” Ketch’s voice echoed through the door. Dean entered the lushly furnished office where Ketch liked to pretend he was king of a multi-million dollar empire. Rumor had it that Arthur Ketch, Esquire would take “meetings” with random executives and spend several hours behind the closed door, supposedly being tied up and forced to call them “Sir”. The rumor was unconfirmed as yet but Dean had no trouble imagining it to be true.

Closing the door behind him, Dean put on his best apologetic ass-kisser face and said, “I’m very sorry I overslept today, Sir. I assure you it won’t happen again.”

Ketch gestured to a chair and replied, “Have a seat, Dean.”

Dean sat silently and rested his right leg on top of his left, staying the urge to cross his arms in annoyance.

Ketch rested his arms on his desk and leaned forward to address Dean. “As I said on the phone, this is the second time in a month you’ve been tardy. The main reason this concerns me is that you’ve otherwise been an exemplary employee in the seven years you’ve worked for the company.”

“Eight,” Dean said. “Eight years last month.”

“Only proving the point further,” Ketch replied. “While the handbook clearly states this offense should be a written warning, I’m more concerned about you. Are you having issues at home, with your brother maybe? Are you dating a girl who may be affecting other parts of your life? I’m told I have an excellent listening ear so I’d like to help if I can.”

Dean bit his lip to keep from laughing, so absurd was the idea that he would confide anything in his boss. _Do not be a smartass. Do NOT laugh, he will take it badly._

Dean took a deep breath, “Everything is fine, Mr. Ketch. As I said, this morning I simply overslept my alarm and when I was late two weeks ago, the alternator on my car died. It was simply bad luck these two events happened close together, but thank you for your concern.”

“You’re welcome, Dean. However, if you ever need to talk, remember my door is always open to you,” Ketch said as Dean nodded solemnly. “We’ll consider this a verbal warning today so nothing permanent goes into your employee file but I hope you understand that if you’re tardy again in the next 90 days, I’ll have to do an official write-up.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ketch,” Dean replied and stood. “I’m grateful for your understanding.”

Ketch nodded acceptance and said, “Now go do what you do best, Winchester. Robert is working on the Camry but an Altima came in this morning with a cracked radiator and engine damage. Chances are the engine will need to be replaced or rebuilt but the owner insisted we check it thoroughly first. Let me know when you find out so I can contact him before we start the work.”

Dean nodded and headed out to the garage, stopping when Robert flagged him over. “’Sup?”

Robert motioned his head towards the offices with a grin. “Did he call you “Sir” and have you gag him?”

“I called him “Sir” actually, but I would’ve gladly gagged him,” Dean grumbled. “He was concerned about my personal life and wanted to talk about FEELINGS. Two-faced jackass.”

Robert grimaced and said, “Shit, son, it’s too fucking early for that horse pucky. You even had a hit of caffeine yet? You look like ass on a cracker, sorry to say.”

Dean just shook his head and groaned. Leave it to the old codger to tell it like it is. At 57, Robert was never the type to mince words and was proud of it. He had two ex-wives, drank coffee like it was water and lived at his own junkyard where he regularly restored cars that hadn’t seen pavement in decades.

“I’ll getcha some when I go on break,” Robert offered. “Cheap ass bastard still hasn’t replaced the one that broke. Better do it soon too, or people are gonna mutiny.”

“No shit,” Dean said. “Appreciate the coffee run. Next one’s on me.”

Robert wandered back to his work and Dean headed across the garage where the Altima was waiting. Noting the keys in the ignition, Dean popped the hood and walked around the front. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he silenced the ringer and looked down at the photo of him and Cas that was his lock screen and smiled. Sliding the phone in his back pocket out of the way, he hoped Cas was sleeping soundly and dreaming of him.

_Focus, Winchester._ Dean shook his head, lowered it under the car’s hood and got to work.

Across the garage, Robert was taking a lugnut wrench out of the rolling toolbox when he looked over and saw Dean staring down at his phone with a stupid grin. _So that’s the real reason he was late,_ Robert thought. He’d met someone and, by the look of things, was positively smitten. _First interesting thing to happen to this garage in years._

Yessir, he’d bring Dean that coffee and casually pump him for information while he drank it. The boy had always been the love-em-and-leave-em type so anyone who got that much of his attention had to be someone worth knowing.

**********

Castiel woke up with the sun burning through his eyelids, he’d forgotten to close the blackout curtains again, and covered his face with a pillow. He smelled Dean on the fabric of the pillowcase and sighed. His body was sore in all the right places and he licked his lips, still tasting the slightly salty flavor of Dean’s pre-ejaculate. He was Dean’s now.

Cas peeked out from under the pillow and let his eyes adjust to the sunlight. He’d like nothing more than to stay in bed and hold on to Dean’s scent a while but his bladder was screaming _MOVE YOUR ASS!_ He rolled over and stood up, groaning as his abused muscles stretched. He looked down at the floor and debated if the pain of bending to pick up his boxers was worth avoiding the shots Gabriel would take at him if conscious. _Fuck it_ , Cas thought and limped bowlegged to the bathroom. 

His brother was blessedly nowhere to be seen so Cas ducked into the bathroom and shut the door, putting the toilet seat down and collapsing on top of it. Cas was a casual runner and considered himself to be in decent shape but it appeared he was sadly mistaken in that assessment. His calves burned and there was an unfamiliar ache in his lower back, not to mention the soreness in his asshole but that wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Cas wiped himself and reached behind him to flush the toilet. _Oh, ouch,_ he thought as a twinge of pain sent a shock up his spine. He looked over at the shower and whimpered internally. He knew there was a good chance the hot spray would relax his aching muscles but there was a guaranteed chance climbing in was going to hurt like a son-of-a-bitch. 

Steadying himself on the sink, Cas stood up and reached behind the curtain to get the water flowing. Taking a step over to the medicine cabinet, he pulled out the ibuprofen tablets and popped two. He climbed into the shower carefully, only wincing in pain twice. Resting his head against the cool tile, he closed his eyes and let the hot water beat down on his abused back.

When he climbed out of the shower, he felt vaguely human again. His ass would be pleasantly sore for a while yet but his calves weren’t screaming anymore and the heat had relaxed his back. He wrapped the towel around his waist and headed back to his room, leaving the door open and sitting on the edge of his bed. When he reached for his phone, he smiled when he saw that Dean had left him another post-it. 

Peeling it up, he saw the amulet Dean was always wearing laying on the table. Lifting it up, Cas looked at it closely for the first time. It really was a hideously ugly thing, it looked like some monstrous voodoo mask on a simple black string. He couldn’t remember Dean ever being without it and wondered why he'd taken it off. Laying the neck piece back on the stand, he turned his attention to the note from Dean. In Dean’s scrawl it read:

_Protection amulet._   
_Please wear it so I_   
_know you’ll be safe_   
_when I can’t be here._   
_XO -Dean_

Cas blinked and looked down at the amulet again. _Well, that’ll teach me._ Picking it back up, he looked at it again. He supposed it held a certain unique charm and it was Dean’s so he would wear it to keep Dean with him. He put it over his head and let it come to rest between his pecs, lifting his hand to run his fingers over the smooth surface. _My Dean_.

Picking up his phone and swiping it open, he ignored his message notifications and opened the camera. Switching to the front-facing view, Cas held the phone out in front of him and centered himself in the shot, making sure the amulet was clearly visible on his bare chest. Puckering his lips in a kissing motion, he tapped the shutter and heard it click. He took one more for good measure and saved them to his photo gallery. 

Closing the camera down, he opened his messages and narrowed his eyes when he saw three waiting texts from Michael.

Michael [2:47 AM]: Gabriel tells me Dean Winchester is still there. Why is he still there, Castiel?  
  
 _Because he loves me. Note to self, crucify Gabriel._  
  
Michael [6:29 AM]: I’m really disappointed in you, Castiel. I thought family meant more to you than this.  
  
 _Pot, meet kettle. Family don’t end in blood._  
  
Michael [7:59 AM]: Are you really going to turn away from your family because a pretty boy flexes his muscles at you?

Castiel smirked when he read the last text. _But they’re such beautiful muscles._ He deleted the texts from his brother and opened one from Jody.

Jody [11:01 AM]: Still alive over there kiddo? Can’t wait to hear how the rest of your weekend went!

Cas smiled and replied: _Weekend was lovely. See you tonight, Mom. Xo_

The last unread message was from Balto, short for Balthazar, Castiel’s best friend since grade school.

Balto [12:42 PM] CASANOVA! What the hell, man? It’s been 5 days! You don’t call, you don’t write. Give it to me straight, I can take it. Is it over between us? Are you shacking up with someone else behind my back? CALL ME or I may be reduced to ugly tears.

Castiel fell back on his bed in laughter and hugged his phone to his chest. Balto had been with him through so much and Cas remembered what he’d thought about Michael’s text. _Family don’t end in blood._ If anyone in Cas’ life defined that statement for him, it would be Balto. Oh, how much had happened in the last five days and their favorite pastime was dishing the dirt. Calling Balto to gush about Dean Winchester and make him green with envy sounded like a fabulous idea.

Cas opened a new message and addressed it to Dean. Attaching the selfie he took, he wrote: _Safe and sound. Bed is empty without you. Hope your boss wasn’t too angry. Miss you. <3_

Cas sent the message and pulled up Balto’s contact card, trying his cell first.

Balto answered on the 3rd ring and yelled into the phone, “WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?? I thought I was going to have to start calling your family!”

“As it happens,” Cas began, “I have been shacking up with someone for a few days. He’s a beautiful chiseled God with green eyes and the voice of an angel. Answers to the name of Dean.”

Balto was silent for a minute and then he roared with laughter. “Don’t pull my leg so hard, Cas. It hurts!”

Castiel sat up on his bed and remained quiet, something he was virtually incapable of around Balto and Balto knew it.

“You… Jesus, Cas, you’re serious?? After all this time someone finally turned your head,” Balto asked.

“And I turned his. Shocking, I know,” Cas said sarcastically.

Balto ignored the sarcasm and peppered Cas with questions. “Where did you meet? When? Is he a good kisser? Is he good in bed? And if those last two questions are a yes, does he have an available open-minded brother?”

“Geez Balto, take a damn breath,” Cas said. “We met at the bar, Friday night, he’s an amazing kisser, his skill in the bedroom is unmatched and actually, he does have a brother but his availability has yet to be determined.”

“CASTIEL,” Balto screamed into the phone. “Why the hell didn’t you call me? It’s an unspoken rule that the best friend has to give his blessing first. How could you??”

Castiel sighed happily, “When you see this man, Balto, you’ll understand. Hell, you’re probably throw me a parade.”

“So,” Balto said, “when do I get to meet him and this brother of indeterminate availability?”

“I don’t know,” Cas said coyly. “I kind of want to keep them all to myself for a while.”

“You’re such a bitch, Castiel,” Balto teased. Castiel smiled to himself and fell into the gossip ritual with the brother of his heart.

**********

Dean had been working like a hellhound all day, doing his best to keep his exhaustion and thoughts of Castiel moaning under him at bay, especially since he had no desire to lose a finger. Robert became his savior when he brought Dean an extra large Cuppa Joe and a breakfast sandwich from Gas-n-Sip around 10:30 that morning. Robert had tried for all he was worth to get Dean to take a break in the air conditioned break room but Dean declined, knowing if he sat down that he was done for.

So Dean had scarfed the breakfast sandwich in between gulps of coffee while the computer ran tests on the Altima’s engine. When the results displayed what Dean already knew, he amused himself by imagining what he’d say to the customer. _I’m sorry Joe Blow from Idaho. Ya fucked it._ Dean snorted out a laugh as he printed up the computer’s results and the parts estimate and took it to Ketch, who gave the go ahead for the radiator repair.

Dean took his lunch break around 12:45 and walked over to the sub shop next door for his usual meatball sub. Extra meat, extra cheese, no rabbit food, if you please. He opted for another cup of coffee instead of his usual Coke and got a bottled water to go. Gathering his meal, he walked back to the shop and climbed into his Impala, hoping the humidity of the afternoon and the sunlight would keep him awake.

Dean turned the key in the ignition to activate the battery and turned up the volume on the radio. Unwrapping his sub, he took a gargantuan bite and chewed thoughtfully to Stairway To Heaven. _Yep, I found me one of those,_ he thought while the image of Cas sleeping in his arms flashed through his mind. Taking a sip of his coffee, Dean wondered if Cas was still asleep and if he had to work tonight. 

Dean took another bite of his sandwich as the song ended. His phone chimed on the seat beside him and Angel With A Shotgun blared through the Impala’s speakers. Dean almost choked on a meatball. _No way._ He put his sandwich down in his lap and wiped his hands clean with a napkin, reaching for his phone. It was a photo message from Castiel.

Dean looked out the window and up to the sky, blue as Cas’ eyes. _Ok. Now I’m a believer._ God, Fate, the whole deal. He was in with both feet.

He opened the photo message from Cas and stared at his amulet hanging from Cas’ neck. It had never looked so good. Smiling at the kissy face Castiel was making, Dean read the text and saved the photo to his phone. Checking the time, he shot off a quick reply: _Boss is fine, still a dick. Would rather be in bed with you. Working tonight? Miss you more. XOXO_

Turning up the radio, he inhaled the rest of his sub and put the trash in the to-go bag. He sipped at his coffee while waiting for a reply from Cas as long as he could get away with. _He’s probably snarking at Gabriel_ , Dean thought, silencing his phone and praying the last half of his day would pass quickly. He wanted Castiel in his arms, preferably in a bed somewhere. He wanted it more than he wanted the coffee in his hand, which was pretty fucking desperately.


	11. Rougarou

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boys night out at Rougarou

Dean lowered the lift to the floor at 5:29 and slammed the hood of the Altima. He hated Nissan vehicles, with a vengeance, and thoroughly believed in the mechanics acronym for it: No Intelligent Service Station Accepts Nissan. Picking up the tools scattered around the bay, he replaced them in the rolling toolbox and turned to go to the timeclock. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he swiped to unlock and pulled up a response from Cas.

Castiel [3:11 PM]: Gabriel’s a dick too. 8pm to close. Dinner before? 143

It took a moment for Dean to register the old pager code for I Love You and when he got it, he laughed out loud. How was it he found someone so completely perfect for him?

Dean was about to text a reply when Robert came up. “You gonna share the joke?”

Dean’s head jerked up in surprise. The man was old but, Jesus, he could be quiet as a mouse sometimes. “My… uh, friend,” Dean stammered. “He just used an old pager code in a text and I found it funny.” He put his phone back in his pocket and headed to the timeclock to punch out, Robert following close to his heels.

“Well I know bullshit when I smell it.” Robert said. “You’ve had this stupid grin on your face all day, except when you were swaying back and forth like a drunk from exhaustion. You’re damn lucky Ketch didn’t see you in that state. Now we been working together too long for you to lie to me, boy. You got a girl thing going on?”

“No,” Dean replied honestly. “There’s a thing, but it’s not a girl.”

“Huh. Makes sense,” Robert surprised Dean with his reply. “I always thought you were kind of sweet on that parts driver… what’s his name… Garth, that’s it.”

Dean put his hands on his knees and doubled over in laughter. “Something funny,” Robert asked.

Dean stood up and took a few deep breaths. “I’m sorry Robert, I didn’t mean to laugh in your face. Garth and I are just friends, and he’s straight. We hang out every Friday night and scope out eye candy but that’s where it begins and ends.”

Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket and called up the photo of him and Cas, telling Robert, “This man is light years from Garth, Robert. I’ve fallen head over steel toes for him and I’m not even sure how it happened.” Dean turned the screen to face Robert and watched as the older man squinted at the picture.

Robert flushed in embarrassment and pulled his glasses out of his pocket, setting them on his nose. “Now lemme see that,” he said, grabbing the phone from Dean. Looking down at the photo, he thought the kid laughing with Dean looked familiar but he couldn’t quite place him. He tucked his tongue in his cheek in concentration, saw the face in another photo somewhere in his mind then it was gone.

Robert handed the phone back to Dean. “You look happy. So does he. Don’t fuck it up. See you tomorrow.” Robert turned on his heel and left Dean to close up the shop. 

Dean took his keys out of his pocket and headed to the employee door. Flipping the line of switches for the lights and panels of power tools, he keyed in the code and set the alarm. He stepped quickly out the door and closed it behind him, locking the deadbolt and clicking the heavy duty Master Lock home. Why yes, his boss was paranoid.

Dean weaved the Chevy through rush hour traffic and made it home in less than a dozen curses, a new personal record for him. He garaged the Impala and stepped into the glorious air conditioning. It was 6:30 and Cas wanted to meet for dinner before his work shift in an hour and a half. He wanted to see Cas, oh so badly, but there was no time now. _Shit_. He’d forgotten to text Cas back.

He pulled out his phone and replied to Cas: _Got caught up at work. Sorry, probably no time now. Need a nap. Could I come to the bar later?_

Cas’ reply was almost instant.

Castiel [6:36 PM]: Sleep first. Visit if you wake up. Dream of me.

Dean replied just as quickly: _Always. I love you, Castiel._

**********

Monday nights at Rougarou were the sports crowd, rowdy as hell and twice as easy to handle. Drafts and longnecks all night long. Tips were hit or miss depending on the score of the game but they usually evened out by the end of the night.

“I think your boy is a no-show, Casanova,” Balto said from the end of the bar.

Cas fixed Balto with his best ‘you’re a dumbass’ look and said, “He was exhausted and I warned you he probably wouldn’t be here, you fool.”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Balto said, “But weren’t you up as late as he was last night, or should I say this morning?”

“You would be correct. But Dean’s the one that had to work a 10-hour day after our sexual exorcism. I was able to sleep another six hours or so,” Cas informed him.

Balto snorted. “You didn’t break him, did you?”

Cas blushed, “Not yet.”

“It’s good to see you so happy, Cas,” Balto reached over and ruffled Cas’ hair.

“Isn’t it just,” Jody said as she walked over.

Cas went to serve a patron that was hailing him and Balto looked at Jody. “Ok lady, now you give me the real story.”

Jody blinked and cocked her head to the side. “He gave you the real story, slick. I mean, I wasn’t there last night but I’ve never known Cassie to tell tall tales. He’s happy for the first time in a long time Balthazar. Why does there need to be more than that?”

Balto sighed, “I just don’t want him hurt again, Jodes. I mean, look at him.” He and Jody looked towards Cas, saw him grinning and laughing with patrons. “That’s him. That’s the real him right there and I haven’t seen it in over two years.”

Jody patted Balto on the shoulder, “I know, sweetheart. My Cassie is back, maybe better than he was before Fergus. I’m scared for him. I have a bad feeling, but I don’t know where it’s coming from. Once you see them together… he only has eyes for Cassie.”

One of the servers called Jody’s name and she scanned the room, looking for the source. Her eyes glazed past the front door then jerked back, and she smiled when she saw the brothers walk in. Leaning back against the bar and looking at Balto over her shoulder, she said, “Watch this,” and pointed at Cas.

When they entered the bar, Dean followed Cas’ movements. Sam took a step towards the bar and Dean grabbed his arm. “Wait,” Dean said. “I just want to watch him a minute. Let’s go over to the juke.”

“But Dean,” Sam argued, “You came to see him and he’s right there.”

Dean’s eyes never left Cas. “When you’re in love one day Sammy, you’ll understand. C’mon.”

Sam shut up and followed Dean to a table by the jukebox. A dark brunette server approached, giving them a wink and introducing herself. “Such handsome men in my section tonight. I’m Meg. What can I get for you?”

“I’d love a house draft,” Sam told her.

“Whiskey rocks,” Dean said.

“Coming right up,” Meg replied and went for their drinks.

Dean saw Cas glide over to the server’s order station and take their ticket from Meg. He went back to his drink station and looked down at the ticket. Dean saw Cas reach up and touch the amulet a second before his head came up and met Dean’s eyes. Dean was rewarded with a sly smile and sent Cas a wink. Even in the dim light of the bar, Dean could see Cas blush before he looked down and busied himself making their drinks.

Sam watched the interchange with amusement and shook his head with a smile. “You two are going to drown me in your cuteness, you know that right?”

Dean slapped a hand on his brother’s back and said, “All part of the master plan Sammy.”

Cas brought their drinks over and set them on the table. “Why, if it isn’t the brothers Winchester gracing my bar with their presence. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sam grinned at Cas and pointed at his brother. “There’s apparently someone here that he’s quite smitten with and thinks is worth losing sleep over.”

Watching Cas, Dean said, “I don’t think, Samuel. I know it for a fact.” Leaning forward to Cas he whispered, “Can you take a break?”

Cas looked over at the bar and saw Jody handling the crowd fine but, at the end of the bar, Balto was staring down Cas and sending him a very clear message. Sighing, Cas said, “I’d love to but first there’s someone I’d like you both to meet. Would you mind coming over to the bar? I can at least keep an eye on you there.”

Sam replied, “Uh… sure?”

“You’re the best,” Cas said, spinning and walking back to the bar.

Dean watched him go. “I don’t usually like to use slang but dayum, dat ass.”

Sam snorted into his drink. “Down boy. He’s on the clock.”

“And I owe him one for making me 20 minutes late to work this morning,” Dean retorted.

Laughing, Sam said, “Would’ve been later if you hadn’t been channeling the Road Runner. Dude, I have NEVER seen you move that fast!”

Grabbing his whiskey and standing, Dean shrugged. “Love does that to a man. Let’s go meet a mysterious stranger Sammy. Maybe you’ll even get yourself a date.”

Sam reached up and Gibbs slapped his brother before picking up his beer and standing. “Maybe I don’t want a date, jerk.”

“That’s because you’re a bitch,” Dean said as they walked over to the bar.

**********

Meeting Balthazar, Balto, had been quite an eye-opening experience for Dean. He knew things about Cas that Cas himself probably never would’ve told him, like the time he’d been playing robbers with Balto and used the real landline to call 911, hiding in the closet when the real police showed up so as not to get into trouble.

When Dean had prompted Balto for more stories, Cas had huffed away with a bright red color staining his cheeks and Dean had found it undeniably adorable. Checking the time on his phone, Dean knew it was time for he and Sam to leave. Sam had classes in the morning and Dean had work. He got Jody’s attention and motioned for her to come over.

“You’ve been so great and I hate to ask, but Sam and I have to go so could Castiel take a short break to walk me out,” Dean asked her.

Jody smiled at him and said, “Sure, Dean.” She walked over to Cas and bumped his shoulder with hers. “Go walk your boyfriend out and don’t get lost in his backseat.”

Cas looked up at Dean with wide eyes and Dean nodded slowly. Cas walked around the bar as Dean dropped a bill on the bar for his drinks. Waiting for Cas to meet him, Dean reached out his hand and took Cas’, walking out the door.

Outside, Dean leaned against the Impala and had his arms wrapped around Cas’ waist while Cas was leaning against Dean, fingers entwined with Dean’s with his head resting back on Dean’s shoulder. Together they quietly looked up and star gazed. There were times when no words were needed, when just being together was enough. Castiel was happy he could ‘just be’ with Dean in this moment.

Dean yawned and nuzzled Cas’ neck, planting a kiss below his ear and saying, “It’s time.”

“I know,” Cas replied. “God knows you need sleep but…”

“But,” Dean prompted.

Cas turned in Dean’s arms to face him, softly running fingertips up Dean’s biceps to circle his neck. “Five more minutes,” he said, pulling Dean down for a passionate kiss.

Dean was the first to pull away breathlessly. “Oh no you don’t,” he said with a smile. “I need more sleep and you have a shift to finish. I don’t want to take advantage of Jody’s generosity.”

“Neither do I,” Cas agreed. “Call me tomorrow?”

“Count on it.” Dean kissed Cas again, slow and sweet. “I love you Castiel.”

Sighing, Cas said, “I’ll never tire of hearing you say that. I love you Dean Winchester.” Taking one more kiss for the road, Cas said, “I’ll send Sam out. Drive carefully.”

Cas ruffled Sam’s hair as he passed where he and Balto were in deep conversation. “Saddle up, Winchester,” Cas said. “Your brother’s horses are about to leave without you.”

“Shit,” Sam said, gulping the last of his beer and looking at Balto. “It… um… it was good to meet you. I’ll give you a call sometime.”

“You do that,” Balto said as Sam rushed out of the bar.

Cas took the seat Sam had just vacated and stared down his friend. “What the hell was that?”

Balto grinned, “Ladies never kiss and tell.”

Cas dropped his mouth open in shock and said, “Ex-CUSE me??”

“Jesus Cas, relax,” Balto said. “It was just a joke. We traded phone numbers, that’s all.”

Standing back up and heading behind the bar, Cas said, “I will NEVER understand why you get so much joy out of trying to put me into full cardiac arrest.”

Shrugging, Balto said, “It’s a gift.”


End file.
